Harry Potter and the Relic of Power
by Pottermaniac
Summary: Harry's new friends make Sirius their secret-keeper, but a powerful force attacks these friends during the Death Eaters' siege of Hogwarts. How hard will Harry fight for his true love?
1. Cho's Secret

A/N: This story was inspired by the idea of all those people on the PoU email list who suggested that Cho could look like Zhang Zi Yi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, by the aforementioned movie, and by J.K. Rowling's novels. I was definitely not one of those people who had pictured Cho like that before seeing the movie; in fact, I pictured Cho with a rounder face. Let me say that you can picture Cho however you wish while reading this story. However, if you have seen Crouching Tiger, you may have a hard time picturing Cho much differently. The way I picture Cho now is totally based on the picture of her in Starling's Hogwarts students pic. The address of Starling's site is http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/i/z/izcovich.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, locations, or ideas from J.K. Rowling's books or the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

A/N: I hope you enjoy the story. Just like the other fan fiction writers, I am assuming that Ginny and Hermione are BEST friends, despite--to my knowledge, at least--a lack of conclusive evidence in the canon supporting this fact. Please don't pay too much attention to the beginning; those familiar with my stories know that I tend to get carried away at the start. This story is not going to be exclusively Cho- and Harry-centric (although ff.net could use more Cho stories); there will be plenty of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. Also, future chapters will contain romance, though the pairings may be traditional or unorthodox. Also, spoiler alert!

* * *

  
Harry Potter and the Relic of Power

Chapter 1: Cho's Secret   


Aboard the Hogwarts express at the beginning of this fifth year, Harry Potter was not quite himself. The strong urge to talk to a certain girl made him more nervous than usual. He had greeted Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger somewhat distantly, and they immediately noticed he was distracted. In fact, from the moment he had arrived at King's Cross Station, he had been keeping an eye out for Cho Chang.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had little catching up to do, since they had, as usual, spent the last few weeks of the summer at the Burrow. While Ron and Hermione argued over something so trivial that Harry had already forgotten how it had started, Harry restlessly shifted in his seat and tried to concentrate on what he was going to say to her.

Of course, he had been thinking about it all summer, but he still couldn't find the right words. He wanted to apologize to Cho, his crush, for the death of Cedric. She would be the first one to know of his guilt over Cedric's death, but not the first person to suspect; Ron and Hermione had sensed his guilt somewhat, but they had both individually made conscious efforts not to bring up the situation until Harry was ready.

And he wasn't ready. But before he knew it, he was slipping out of the compartment his friends and he were sharing, and he was on his way to look for Cho.

Ginny Weasley saw him leave, sighed, and then reluctantly turned her attention toward Ron and Hermione's bickering.

Harry made his way through a sea of familiar and unfamiliar faces. The Gryffindors he knew all smiled at him and greeted him, but most of them were too deep in conversation to do much more than that. Harry was gratified, however, and he kept a look out continually for any member of the Ravenclaw house, especially any friend of Cho's who could point him in the right direction. Along the way, his determined mood made it unusually easy to ignore the Slytherins' comments towards him. He had almost reached the train when he had seen someone who he had vaguely remembered as one of Cho's friends. It was just before he had asked Cho to the ball in the previous year. He tried to think of her name, but couldn't quite remember. He walked up to her. "Hi," he said shakily.

"Hi, Harry," the girl cheerfully replied. She smiled. "I'm Carolyn Green." The girl had blonde, curly hair. For some reason, Harry realized, there were very few blondes in Ravenclaw. _[A/N: I'm sorry; that was below the belt!]_

"Er, Carolyn, right. Um, have you seen Cho?"

"Cho and her family live in Hogsmeade, so they don't take this train. You might see her just before you board your carriage for the school."

"Thanks." He felt somewhat hopeful. Then he felt he probably owed her some conversation. There were some empty bags next to her in the otherwise empty compartment, so her friends seemed to be away for a while. "So, are you a 6th year, like Cho?"

"Yes I am."

She probably meets a lot of guys just because she' Cho's friend, Harry thought. He resisted the urge to ask her to verify that.

Carolyn hesitated, and then said, "You know, Cho's a really busy person. Kind of like your friend, Hermione. But she doesn't really study a lot, more like an extracurricular reader. Tutors students sometimes, with Dumbledore's permission. And she writes a lot of stories for us. She might write for a living, she says." She paused. "I'm rambling, right?"

"No, not really." It was a white lie, maybe.

"Oh, it looks like I've discouraged you. Actually, well, I haven't told this to any boy but, you're such a nice one, and good-looking, too." Harry blushed slightly. "Did you know that Cho runs early every morning? That's why I think she's always in shape."

"So you're saying that--"

"Yeah," she interrupted in a friendly tone. "That's what I'm saying. I bet she's really fast." She looked up at the sound of her friends' voices and saw three of them enter the compartment. "My girls are here," she said simply.

Harry had no objections to meeting more Ravenclaw girls, especially if they were friends of Cho's who could help him get on her good side. He chatted with them for about fifteen minutes, getting to know the red-head Stacey Brown (no relation to Lavendar) and a brunette named Maggie Smith. Harry and Carolyn both met a brunette transfer named Lindsay McCourt.

All the while, he resisted the urge to interrogate them about Cho. When he finally felt that he should see what his friends were up to, he said bye to his new acquaintances and headed back for his original compartment.   


* * *

  
When Harry returned to the compartment, he saw his friends all turn their heads at once. Ron had a curious look on his face that seemed to ask Harry where he had been.

"I went to talk to some of Cho's friends."

None of them had expected that. They had all been talking about how he had probably found some place where he could be alone with his thoughts.

"Not on purpose I'm sure," Hermione teased.

Ron looked at Hermione and then realized what she had meant. "Oh, right, you meant to find Cho. I've actually never seen her on this train."

"Cho who?" Ginny asked.

"Cho Chang," said Hermione simply. Ginny's expression seemed to ask for more information, so Hermione obliged. "A sixth year Ravenclaw who plays seeker like Harry."

"I see," said Ginny.

Harry explained the conversation he had had with Cho's friends. "I'm going to take her advice and look for Cho as soon as we arrive."

"That's good," said Ron. "You know, I might want to catch a glimpse of her, too. I don't really have a good idea of what she looks like, but people say that she's really pretty."

"That's so typical of you, Ron," came Hermione's condescending tone, but she in a more teasing that vicious tone.

Harry stifled a laugh, but Ginny couldn't help but giggle. He looked at the smirk on Hermione's face, and then at Ron. "She's the prettiest girl in the school, I think," said Harry finally. "If you want to catch a glimpse of her, by all means go for it."

Ginny almost flinched at Harry's words.

Hermione groaned. "Didn't I just say that looks aren't everything?"

"She's the top student in her class," said Harry eagerly. "A really amazing girl, that one."

Hermione did not reply.

"Does she have cute friends?" Ron asked eagerly. Ginny and Hermione both rolled their eyes.

"There's no point getting through to them," Ginny said to Hermione. "Come on, Hermione, let's go see what the others are up to." Harry and Ron, so engrossed in their own conversation, barely noticed the girls leave.   


* * *

  
It wasn't raining outside like it was last year when the train arrived at Hogwarts. Amid all the shouting, hugging, and hand-shaking, Harry immediately darted towards what looked like a crowd of Ravenclaws to look for Cho. Ron was about to follow when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

He turned around and saw Hermione, Ginny, and an Oriental girl smiling at him. He just stared breathlessly at the dark-haired girl with the large eyes and high cheekbones.

"Ron," Ginny continued. "This is Cho Chang."

"I'm Ron Weasley," he said finally. "Nice to meet you," he managed as he stretched out his hand.

Cho took it eagerly and shaked his hand in a way that was somehow firm yet very feminine. "Nice to meet you, too. I've heard that you're a great chess player."

Ron's face went red. "Um, yes, do you . . play chess?"

"Sometimes, but I'm not very good actually." She smiled again at him, and then looked at Ginny and Hermione. "Do you two play also?"

Instantly, Hermione said, "Yes."

Ginny said, "No, not really."

"I always beat Hermione," Ron boasted.

"Oh? Consistently lucky are we?" Cho teased.

Hermione stifled a giggle and gave Ron a look behind Cho's back.

"You would have enjoyed living in Ravenclaw, Hermione, if that was the house to which you were assigned. But your friends in Gryffindor are obviously irreplaceable."

Hermione looked at Cho and then quietly thanked her for the compliment. Ginny blushed slightly. Ron turned beet red.   


* * *

Harry had ended up getting into an involved conversation with Colin and Dennis Creevey, but in spite of himself, he obliged them. He found out that if he was patient with him, he would actually be rewarded. They told him that their family had gone camping together over the summer, and they spent the last few weeks visiting France.

Perhaps, Harry thought, this would be a good excuse to put off his apology. Now that he was so close to telling her, he felt scared to do it. Besides, these stories were pretty interesting, especially because Harry had never been to France. When Harry saw the carriages were about to leave, he bade farewell to the Creeveys and ran after the carriages where he was sure the others must be. Dennis called out after Harry, "You're an inspiration to us all!"   


* * *

  


The opening banquet and the Sorting Process was complete, and all the Gryffindors were in the common room catching up on each other's summer experiences.

"I really got Dudley to lighten up a little bit," said Harry. "He eventually pried some information from me that I'm sure Aunt Petunia wouldn't want him knowing. He actually started secretly helping me with some chores in exchange for some of my stories."

"Would you go far enough to say that you're friends, now?" Ron inquired.

"No, not really." Harry admitted. "Let's just say that I have more important things on my mind that make it easy to ignore what used to annoy me. I think Dudley has more important things on his mind than annoying me."

"Like what?" Ron asked.

"Like his girlfriend," Harry said.

"She's straightening him out, is she?"

Harry knew the immature thing to do would be to point out that this was true figuratively as well as metopharically. Dudley's skinny girlfriend had gently pressured Dudley to exercise and diet, and that left less energy for Dudley to use for punching Harry. On the contrary, Dudley was now quite interested in magic, and that's why he always wanted to hear stories from Harry.

"So even Dudley knows you have a crush on Cho?" Ron asked.

"Yeah." Harry replied.

"She's a nice girl," chimed in Hermione.

"I'll say," said Ron enthusiastically.

Hermione gave him an ambiguous look.

"You've met her?" Harry asked.

Ron filled him in.

Harry felt only slightly peeved. He filled them in on the Creevey brothers' summer experiences.

"Cho is gorgeous," said Ron plainly as soon as Harry finished talking.

Harry didn't mind. "Yes she is."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She's smart, too. Maybe she and I can discuss some things."

"Like Spew?" Ron was joking. He saw the look on her face and frowned. "I was just kidding, you know."

"Of course you were," teased Harry.

"So Hermione," Ron began, "you broke up with Krum?"

"Yes," said Hermione, sounding solemn. "He was a nice person, but definitely not my type."

"Okay, Ron's satisfied," teased Harry.

"What are you talking about?" Ron objected.

"Give it up, Ron," Hermione said playfully, "It was pretty obvious by the way you reacted to me during and after the ball."

"Well, I would have liked to tell her in a more dramatic way," Ron said with a little bit of frustration in his voice, "but yeah you read right through me. Satisfied?"

"I wanted to go, and I was wondering if his offer was the only chance I'd get."

"Oh. So you just couldn't say no, because you didn't think anyone was gonna ask you? Well, I was gonna ask you," Ron said.

"Sure you were, Ron, you spent the whole time chasing down the prettiest girls in the school and were lucky to end up with a date at all!" Hermione said self-righteously.

"Forget it, Hermione," Ron said slightly impatiently. "Who's up for wizard chess?"

"Count me out," said Harry. "I'm going to bed." He got up and walked towards the stairs to the boys dormitory.   


* * *

The next day, Harry woke up to his 6 AM alarm, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and snuck out of the room without waking anybody up. When he finally left out the front doors of the castle, he saw a girl, who looked like Cho, jogging away from him towards the forbidden forest. She wore a simple, white cloak. Harry put on his own invisibility cloak, not wanting to get caught in that forest without permission, and jogged after her at a much slower pace. He continued to follow her at a distance and eventually came to a clearing.

Cho appeared to be practicing the martial arts. She was weilding a beautiful, slightly curved sword with effortless grace and remarkable speed. Harry watched with awe.   
The slight coldness in the air stung at Harry's skin and a beautiful sunrise began. Cho had never looked more beautiful and more intriguing. Then, Harry's jaw dropped when he saw Cho jump into the air and stab an imaginary foe. Cho had only leapt a few feet off the ground, but she had appeared _weightless. _Cho continued for ten more minutes, and then concluded her practice. She hadn't broken a sweat. Immediately looking directly at the spot where Harry was hiding under his invisibility cloak, she said, "I know you're there, Harry."

Stunned, Harry removed his cloak and continued to stare at her. "How did you . . ?" Throughout the whole summer, he had never considered starting his apology in this way, but he found himself too shocked to do anything but wonder.

She smiled and held the sword behind her back, pointing straight up. "Learn to fight? My parents started teaching me mystic knowledge since I was five. See people under invisibility cloaks? That power comes from the sword."

"Mystic knowledge?" These days, he thought the only kinds of knowledge were Muggle and magical knowledge. A magical sword was something slightly familiar to him. He shuddered, thinking about the time when Barty Crouch saw him. Crouch had helped Harry, but only so that Crouch could try to kill Harry later. Also, Dumbledore could see people under invisibility cloaks, but Harry didn't know how. These martial arts, on the other hand, looked like they were invented by Muggles.

"From China. Knowledge of the human potential and of the Way of the Tao," she said.

Harry was already confused. He wondered what else was in her potential, but he didn't ask. "It's truly impressive, but, um, we're not supposed to be here."

"Actually, " she said in a friendly tone, "Dumbledore wants me to be here. I need a quiet, open space to train secretly everyday."

"Why secretly?" Harry was beginning to see some parallels between his and her life. Why did she trust him with her secret? He had never suspected that Dumbledore was as close to any other students as he was to Harry.

She maintained eye contact with him. "Because some people must not know that warriors like me still exist."

"Warriors?" Harry's curiosity was mounting. Cho's comments seemed cryptic to him.

"So-called 'Mythic' Chinese legend is full of inaccurate stories of our heroics and our crimes," she said with what sounded like slight bitterness. She looked at his ambiguous facial expression. "We really should be going," she said finally.

She's smart in a different way from Hermione, Harry thought, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how. The sentences were crisp and short, but it was also effortless. "Can I ask about your sword?" Harry blurted out. He never considered himself a nosy person before, but he couldn't help it.

"It belonged to the warrior Rowena Ravenclaw. It was a gift to her, and now it belongs to me."

Harry hesitated. The Hogwarts Four. He wished suddenly that he knew more about the history of Hogwarts, if not so he could understand then at least enough so that he could impress her instead of looking like an idiot. Ravenclaw must have received it from someone who was Chinese. Maybe that person taught her something. Shortly after that, maybe, is when the warriors had to pretend to disappear. He thought of the drama of her people's plight, and compared it to his own dramatic life. He wondered whether she had saved the world at one point, but didn't ask.

Cho said, "We should really head back now." They started walking together back to Hogwarts.

Along the way, Harry had an idea. "Cho, who isn't supposed to find about you?"

"Voldemort."

Harry was surprised to know that Cho didn't fear the name. "I asked, because I'm wondering if maybe you and your family need a secret-keeper."

"What is a secret-keeper?"

Harry explained.

"My parents trust a lot of people, but it may be hard for them to decide."

Harry thought for a while, and then his eyes lit up. "I know somebody who won't fail you. He lives in the area, too. Can I set up a meeting between him, us, and your parents?"

Cho looked at him curiously. "Please do. I think my parents will be interested."   


* * *

A meeting was arranged for the next evening at the cave in Hogsmeade where Sirius had stayed before. Cho and her parents arrived and waited outside like Harry had told them to. Harry introduced himself.

Harry learned that Cho's parents were named David and Jen. Jen was the wizard, but they both were warriors who appeared to still be very athletic. David was a journalist for the wizard newspaper The Weekly Oracle. Jen wrote poetry. "We're never on the same page," David said.

"And we don't know where our daughter's smarts come from," Jen said.

Just as they entered the cave, a thought suddenly came to him. "Snuffles! Don't transfigure yet," he said.

The black dog stopped and gave Harry a strange look, but he did not transfigure.

Harry told them everything. He told them that Snuffles was really the animagus form of Sirius Black. Cho's parents were suddenly very afraid, but Harry convinced them to listen. Harry explained why his parents trusted Sirius, how Sirius had doubted himself, how Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them all, and how Pettigrew was still at large. "I know that Sirius would never give away your secret and that he would never ask you to switch secret-keepers," he concluded.

Cho and her parents were speechless. "Harry," Cho began. "Why do you trust us so much with this information?"

"Because," Harry began with difficulty. "I think it's a great idea. Sirius, you can transform now." Sirius changed into his human form. The Changs gasped as they recognized his face from the Daily Prophet, but they did not react with fear.

Sirius shook the hands of the Changs. "I fight Voldemort with every ounce of life I have. Harry does the same. If you don't trust me, then please trust Harry."

Cho's parents looked at their daughter. "I trust him," she said solemnly.

"We trust you, Cho," said Mrs. Chang. "David, I think we should agree to it."

"I think so too, dear," said Mr. Chang. "All right, where do we start?"

After the spell had been performed, Mr. and Mrs. Cho thanked them and left the cave to go home. Cho insisted on waiting outside for Harry. Sirius stopped Harry as he was about to leave. "You don't know how much what you did means to me."

"Don't mention it," said Harry.

Sirius nodded. "That's what your father would say."

When Harry left, Cho was still there. They walked back to Hogwarts together.   


* * *

  
The next morning, Harry met Cho out in the Forest again.

After chatting a few minutes in the clearing, an awful scream came from deep within the forest. It sounded like a familiar male voice, but Harry couldn't quite identify it.   
Then he remembered. "It sounds like Hagrid!"

Cho began to run towards the sound. "Follow me," she called back to him.

Classes hadn't started yet on this Tuesday morning, but Harry found that he was already in the midst of another adventure.

* * *

What happened to Hagrid? How does Cho feel about Harry? Why do Cho's parents need a secret-keeper? Chapter 2, which will be out shortly, contains action and more revealed secrets.


	2. The Sword of Ravenclaw

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.

Chapter 2: The Sword of Ravenclaw   


It was almost 7 AM in the morning and time for the 5th year Gryffindors and Slytherins' first class: Care of Magical Creatures. Hermione and Ron had arrived just on time, because they had unsuccessfully searched for Harry before leaving the castle. When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, they saw their classmates were all conversing excitedly. Draco noticed them arrive and sneered at them. "Wonder where your precious Harry is?"

Before Ron or Hermione could respond, they all heard a yell from the Forbidden Forest. "Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed, and without thinking they ran into the forest. Eventually the rest of the class followed at some distance.   


* * *

After Cho heard Harry say that the scream was Hagrid's, she bolted off towards the sound. She called back, "Follow me."

Harry watched, because his feet felt like they were stuck to the ground. He saw that Cho would have to run around a pond to get to Hagrid, and this could best be accomplished with a broom. Harry outstretched his wand hand and said, "Accio Firebolt." While waiting, Harry saw something that dumbfounded him: Cho was taking leaps across the water as if she was weightless. Harry dropped the invisibility cloak he had been holding in his left hand. I'll have to get it later, he thought, for his broom had arrived. After a few seconds, Harry had mounted his Firebolt and was flying as fast as he could in her direction to catch up with her.

As he approached her, he saw her jumping gracefully onto a large rock and then jumping to the top of the trees. She stood at the top of one and observed for a short time, looked back at him, and then pointed to the south. Harry rose up high from his broom and looked down in the direction in which she had pointed. Sure enough, there was Hagrid fighting off a dozen man dressed in black from head to toe except for their eyes. Behind them was the strangest creature Harry had ever seen: it appeared to be a man with bright wings on its back, a bird-like beak and a giant sword in its hand. The handle of the sword was simple and black, and the tip of the blade appeared to be an asymmetrical slant.

Cho had already dashed towards the clearing where Hagrid was being attacked and Harry soon followed her on his Firebolt. The attackers did not see Cho when she emerged into the clearing. She shouted at their backs something in Chinese. Harry guessed that it translated to, "Let him go. It's me you want."

Harry saw the men in black suits turn around and then the bird-like man smiled menacingly and said in English, "It is you, Cho. How foolish to think you could hide from us. Let the man go," he commanded, and the men obeyed immediately.

Hagrid slumped to the floor and looked around until he recognized Harry. "Harry," he managed. "Get out of here." He then saw Cho and vaguely recognized her as a student. "Get her out of here, too."

Harry did not respond but merely looked sadly at the fist-caused injuries to Hagrid's face and side.

"Harry," Cho's voice called out as the men and the creature approached them.

Harry surprised himself with his own calmness. "Yeah?"

"The creature is a tengu. Let me deal with him. Try to fight off some of the ninjas for me. Then we'll help Hagrid."

Harry was about to ask what a ninja was, but it dawned on him rather quickly that ninjas were the martial artists dressed in black. Hagrid didn't appear to be bleeding seriously, Harry thought. "Okay," he said.

The men and the tengu charged towards Harry and Cho at the same time as Hagrid's class arrived to watch the action.   


* * *

  
Ron yelled as soon as he saw them. "Harry!"

Harry turned around. "Little help please!"

Ron and Hermione dashed to Harry's aid, and soon most of the class trickled after them.

The tengu dashed with blinding speed with sword raised. Cho blocked the strike at the last instant. She retaliated with her own blow, but the tengu blocked it deftly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione used every attacking spell they could think of against the ninjas, but they seemed undeterred. Many of them dodged the attacks by jumping so high in the air with such ease that they appeared to be defying gravity.   


* * *

  
At this point, most of Hagrid's class was joining in the frenzy, but many of the Slytherins, including Draco, amused themselves by watching.

Neville Longbottom watched with fear as the ninjas closed in on Harry and the others. However, he saw that the oriental girl appeared to be holding her own. The girl and the creature were now fighting in front of a small group of tall, thin trees. The creature could not connect with a successful blow, but neither could Cho. Ninjas frequently interfered with Cho and the tengu's battle, but the tengu appeared to be annoyed with the interruptions. He instinctively knocked them out of the way with a well-placed kick or he would stab them himself if they ever got really annoying. Cho tried to take advantage of the tengu when it was distracted, but she still could not injure it. The two appeared to grow frustrated, because they started moving so quickly that they were almost a blur. The tengu took a swipe at Cho that she barely ducked, and then a few seconds later the tree that had been behind her fell to the ground with a thud. Then Neville started running out of the forest towards Hogwarts castle.   


* * *

Professor Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office reading a letter from a disgruntled parent who always seemed to be complaining when Neville burst through the door.

Through pants he managed, "Professor . . Dumbledore . . McGonagall let me in . . the Forbidden Forest . . warriors in black . . attacked Hagrid . . bird-man creature . . attacking Harry and the others." He now had his hands on his knees and was trying to catch his breath.

Dumbledore acted quickly. "Take me to them," he said. Neville left and Dumbledore followed.   


* * *

  
Shortly after entering the hallway outside his office, Dumbledore saw Professor Severus Snape talking with Professor Minerva McGonagall. "We have an emergency," he called out to them. They followed him wordlessly.   


* * *

  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were now uttering spells as rapidly as they could and pointing randomly at different approaching ninjas. Ron gave a ninja jelly legs, but then that ninjas started crawling with his arms towards them. Hermione said, "Accio" while pointing at a large rock lying between her and a ninja who was facing her. The rock surprised the ninja when it collided with the back of his head and rendered him unconscious.

"This is just like the movies. Right down to the funky swords," said Ron.

"Katanas," Hermione corrected.

"Well, _excuse _me," Ron said. He looked at her and his face went white. "Hermione, watch out!"

Small metal stars flew from the hand of a ninja towards Hermione, and she barely dodged them in time.   


* * *

Harry had already turned his attention elsewhere. He mounted his Firebolt and rose up into the air, eyeing Hagrid. Suddenly, he dived over the heads of the ninjas to get to Hagrid, who was all alone and who could only watch.

"Hagrid, are you okay?" Harry had a concerned expression on his face.

"This is about the girl," Hagrid said solemnly. "They asked me if I knew where Cho Chang was, but I told them I didn't know. They didn't believe me, as you can see."

"Okay, Hagrid. I'm going to get you out of here. I don't think I can fit you and me on the Firebolt, but do you think you can ride it to safety?"

"I can't even get up Harry," he said. "And I haven't rode a broomstick in decades.'

"I was afraid of that," said Harry.

He glanced at his friends and Cho and then he saw Neville approaching with Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and several students who must have somehow heard about the battle.

"Harry watch out!" Hagrid's voice surprised Harry. He turned around and was then immediately punched in the stomach by a ninja. Harry fell to the ground in pain. He looked up at the ninja, who had a solemn expression on his face while waiting for Harry to get up and fight back. Harry got up quickly and started flailing his arms as best as he could. The ninja mocked him by deftly blocking every move without trying to attack. In the middle of this battle, Harry smiled. "Gotcha," he said simply.

The ninja turned around and received a big punch in the jaw from Hagrid. The ninja slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Ah'm more use to ya here, anyway," he said with a smile.   


* * *

Cho finally hit the tengo with a deft kick to the stomach. She then kicked him again with a kick that resembled a cartwheel. The tengu reeled back, seething with anger. He then retaliated with a combination which included a whirlwind of sword slashes and feints and then he swiftly ducked and tripped Cho with a powerful sweep kick. Cho fell down to the ground. The tengu raised his sword with two hands and prepared to take Cho's life.   


* * *

In chapter 3, the tengu goes for the kill and we learn more about the tengu and the ninjas.

Info on tengus from: http://members.dencity.com/MythicalCreatures/frames/creatures/index.html. This is a great resource for mythical creature information.


	3. The Siege of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.

Chapter 3: The Siege of Hogwarts   


"Ah'm more use to ya here, anyway," said Hagrid.

Harry nodded and then took a look around. His eyes stopped when he saw the tengu trip Cho with a kick. Then the tengu began to raise his sword in preparation for the killer blow. _No_, he thought. The tengu was totally out of range of one of Harry's spells, so he picked up his broomstick and sped as fast as he could towards them. In his right hand he held the wand and pointed it towards the tengu. He searched his memory for a spell that would work.   


* * *

Cho looked up at the tengu. The tengu began his downward swing, and Cho immediately pulled a wand out of her robes and said, "Conjunctivitus." The curse shot out at the tengu's eyes and he reeled back in pain. He immediately closed his eyes, raised the sword, and swung downward this time. Cho rolled to her right and barely avoided the blade, then she delivered a blow to the creature's stomach with her left knee and then she lunged to slice him in the arm. The tengu, still with its eyes closed, blocked Cho's strike at the last instant.

Harry approached in the middle of the battle. To his relief, Cho was all right, though the tengu still appeared strong. He turned to see that some seventh years were joining in the battle with advanced magic attacking spells. Mad-Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, was turning ninjas into ferrets one by one and banging them against the ground. Dumbledore shot his wand out calmly and magical ropes shot out that tied up ninjas five at a time.

Hermione also appeared to feel relieved. Then she noticed something rising up into the sky: the Dark Mark. In a few minutes, she saw several hooded figures in approaching the school from the east.. She screamed, "Death Eaters!" She pointed in their direction when all the heads turned around in her direction.

"Everyone to the castle!" McGonagall yelled with a voice magically augmented.

The ninjas almost all appeared to be subdued. Many of them began to retreat slowly. Others, feeling dishonored at a sure defeat, killed themselves with their own swords.

The students were now running back into the castle as a mob. Most of them were panic-stricken. Some of the Slytherins hesitated as if they were thinking about helping the Death Eaters.

It suddenly dawned on Harry that the timing was too perfect for these two threats not to be working together. He flew over to Hagrid and helped him walk back quickly into the castle. He kept looking over his shoulder at Cho and the tengu, who appeared to have taken their fight up to the trees. Either she was being stubborn or the tengu wasn't letting her leave. It was probably the latter, Harry thought, because the tengu's back was towards the Hogwarts grounds. He brought Hagrid to the door and then turned around to watch. Hagrid started to tell him to get inside, but Madame Pomfrey had spotted Hagrid and had began escorting him inside.

"Harry, get in!" Harry heard Ron's voice and turned around. Ron grabbed his right arm and started pulling him with him.

"But Cho--" Harry began.

Ron looked around. Almost everybody was inside already. Hermione just caught up with them. Harry and Ron were now both staring back toward the forest.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked nervously. "Let's get in."

"Not without Cho. I have to make sure she's all right," Harry said solemnly.

Hermione sighed. "I think she wants to fight it by herself, Harry."

"He's not getting away if he kills her," Harry threatened. He started running back towards the forest.

"Harry, wait for me!" Ron shouted and he ran after him.

Hermione groaned, and then she went after the both of them.

They entered the forest and as soon as they had ran into the clearing a familiar voice stopped them. "What are you doing here?" Snape asked viciously.

"We were just going to check on Cho," Harry said impatiently.

"She doesn't need anyone to check on her," Snape said. "The tengu's sword just broke and he has just flown away in retreat. Get back to the castle," he snapped. They didn't move. "Now!"

They all began to turn away when they heard the familiar voice of Cho. "Please wait up," she called.

They turned around and saw her running towards them. They could see Snape behind her. He was slowly walking towards the castle. brought up the rear from behind them. Cho finally caught up to them.

"Snape told us that you beat him," Ron said.

"We came back for you," Harry said.

"Thanks," she said. "But how do we get back into the castle?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned around to see that the Death Eaters had made their way to the front of the castle. Several of them were chanting a spell together in front of the doors. Then arrows started raining down on the Death Eaters. Harry looked up to see that the arrows were being fired by bows that seemed to be moving themselves. Suddenly, the doors violently burst open and flew towards the chanting death eaters. They must have collectively used a strong retrieval spell. The Death Eaters strode into the castle one by one.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cho, and Snape had been walking while watching and were now almost at the middle of the grounds. Shortly after the Death Eaters had begun to enter the castle, they had begun to fly out one at a time. It was almost humorous. Snape had now run almost to the front of the castle and he was quickly tying up the unconscious Death Eaters with magical ropes from his wand. Harry and his friends had almost caught up with Snape when they saw that Moody and hundreds of students behind him wre standing just inside the front doors of Hogwarts firing spells with such speed and variety that it was like a fireworks show.

"I thought that we'd all be in more danger now that Voldemort has returned," Harry thought out loud.

"This is kind of pathetic," said Ron.

"But you were wonderful, Cho," said Harry.

Cho smiled at him. Hermione looked at Cho and asked her to join them for lunch.

"I'd love to," said Cho.

They watched the last of the Death Eaters fly out of the castle with a dozen hexes put on him, then they made their way to a spot outside of the front doors yet far away from the inside. They waited until the people inside recognized them.

"The Death Eaters are all apprehended," bellowed Mad-Eye Moody. "Nobody shoot! I repeat, nobody attack! Hogwarts students are coming in!" He looked around and saw that they all understood, though he suspected some Slytherin students might still fire from the balconies if they see that they can get a chance at Harry Potter.

Slowly, the students crept into the castle. To their relief, nobody fired any spells in their direction.   


* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione found Ginny in the common room and then went down to meet Cho at the Great Hall. When they arrived, Cho was talking to Ravenclaws that Harry remembered meeting on the train. He recognized Carolyn Green, Lindsay McCourt, and Maggie Smith.

Cho saw them immediately and grinned. Harry's and Cho's friends introduced themselves to each other.

"Well I think it's fantastic what Cho did," Maggie said.

"It makes me so much more confident knowing that I've knocked out a few Death Eaters," said Carolyn with a smile.

"I guess your secret's out," said Harry to Cho.

"Unfortunately, that couldn't be helped," she responded quietly.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Ron asked.

"From my parents. My mother fought several tengus when she was young. Most of them are malicious, power-hungry creatures," Cho said.

"Where'd you acquired the sword?" Hermione asked.

"I bet she pulled it out of a hat?" Harry said before Cho could respond. Harry betted that the Sorting Hat had more surprises and that Cho was the heir of Ravenclaw, herself. How else could she have the sword if she wasn't the proper heir? It had been the same when he, the heir of Gryffindor, had pulled out the Godric's sword.

Cho looked at him with a somewhat shocked expression on her face. "Harry's right," she said finally.

Ron and Hermione exchanged knowing looks at the same time.

"Hey Harry," came a familiar voice from across the hall. I want to speak with you." Harry looked up to see that Draco Malfoy was motioning for him to approach a spot a little ways away from the Slytherin table. Harry said, "Excuse me please." He began to leave the table.

Hermione grabbed his arm. "No, Harry, ignore them."

Harry felt slightly uncomfortable in front of them. He thought for a bit, and then decided that he would rather take the bait than look like a coward in front of everybody. "I'll be fine," he said to Hermione with a smile.

She let go reluctantly and he left the table.

When Harry was close to the Slytherin table, Draco approached him. "What is it, Malfoy?" Harry asked coldly.

"Where did you go, Potter? _Before_ you went to the castle?"

"None of your business."

"Causing trouble, were we? Or trying to be a hero again? What was it?"

"Like I said before, it's none of your business."

Draco started to respond when he was tapped lightly on the back. Draco felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around irritated. "What?"

He then saw Cho. She was smiling and hadn't flinched. "Hi, I'm Cho Chang. I don't believe we've met."

Draco just stared with mouth agape. Finally, he spoke. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He stretched out his hand and she shook it vigorously.

"Your father's name is Malfoy? There's a Lucius Malfoy on the Council in the Ministry of Magic."

"Yeah," Draco said. "Um, he's my father. I'm, um, really proud of him."

She nodded.

"You're the Ravenclaw seeker, right?"

She said yes.

"I'm the Slytherin seeker. They call me 'The Snake.'" Harry fought the urge to laugh out loud. He thought the thing for Cho to say would be, _Good for you_.

"That's cute," she said.

Draco looked appalled. Either he was too shocked with himself for his comment or he was too shocked with her response.

Then Cho looked at Harry. "Harry, do you want to come back to the table?"

"Sure," said Harry casually. Draco finally recovered.

"I'm joining you," Draco blurted out.

"Great," said Cho. She left to get a table, but Harry and Draco remained and watched her.

"No one calls you 'The Snake'," Harry said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up, Potter," Draco responded. "No, I take that back. Tell me about her."

Harry shrugged. "She and I will soon be dating, and no she doesn't have a sister."

Draco hesitated for a second. "Well," he said with mock despair. "That's a shame."

"Thought you liked Hermione anyway," Harry said, and he arrived at the Gryffindor table with the last word. Cho was already seated. Draco sat to Harry's right, away from everybody else. Harry wasn't sure whether Draco would be an embarrassment to himself, belligerent, or tolerable.

By the end of lunch, Harry judged that Draco was tolerable. Draco was quiet, but he spoke when he was being spoken to. Throughout the meal, Ron obviously tried his best to control his temper every time Draco spoke. Hermione didn't pay much attention to him. Ginny cast a few nervous glances in his direction. Draco's elbows never touched the table. Harry realized that Draco must have made impeccable table manners a habit. Ironic, he thought, how some people can practice perfect etiquette and still be total bigots.

In the middle of lunch, a voice said, "Excuse me, Cho? Could I have a word with you?" They all looked up to see McGonagall looking down at them. She had a worried expression on her face and looked like her lip was trembling slightly.

"Of course," said Cho. She quietly excused herself and left.

"Hey did you hear?" They all looked up to see Fred and George Weasley approaching the table. Fred continued, "There was an attack at Hogsmeade this weekend and now some couple is in the hospital."

Harry connected the two events. Cho's parents, he thought. Guilt and suffering suddenly overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.   


* * *

A/N: Now that you ask, I do have a general plot structure written out, but it's constantly evolving. In Chapter 4, we find out what happened in Hogsmeade, Cho reacts, and romantic sparks fly.


	4. The Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, locations, or ideas from J.K. Rowling's books or the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.   


Chapter 4: The Betrayal

Harry watched McGonagall walk Cho out of the Great Hall, presumably to McGonagall's office. Harry watched her anxiously. She looked back at one point with that same sad expression she had on her face earlier.

This can't be Sirius' fault, thought Harry. It's impossible. Sirius is on our side.

"Si--" Hermione began, and then she realized that Draco was still within hearing range. "Snuffles must have been framed," she said in a low voice. "There's no other explanation."

Ron didn't look so sure. "You have to admit it doesn't look too good, Hermione. The timing's too perfect."

"I don't believe in coincidences either, Ron," said Harry. "But I know that you trust . . Snuffles . . as much as I do. Hermione's right; someone framed him."

"What's all this you're blabbering about?" Draco blurted out.

So much for being tolerable, thought Harry. He was about to retort with another remark when he heard a familiar voice.

"Mind if I sit here?" They turned around and saw Lindsay McCourt looking solemnly at them. "I have information," she said.

Harry said, "Sure Lindsay." She sat down.

"My dad's the detective that the ministry sent down to investigate. It all points to a magical attack. Cho's parents are in the hospital at Hogsmeade and they've got the best security there. They're unconscious though. I'm sorry," she said.

"How do you think she'll respond to the news?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Not well," said Lindsay solemnly. "It's hard to be rational when it hits, literally, so close to home. Plus, no one has any idea which of You-Know-Who's goons did it."

"Or maybe it wasn't one of his goons," Ron blurted out. Heads turned towards him. "Well, there's a possibility," he said sheepishly.

"A small one," said Hermione. "It's always Voldemort." These days everyone used the name, especially because they were encouraged to.

Harry saw that the conversation was running thin and that it was almost time to leave for the next class, Potions. "Thanks for your help, Lindsay," he said glumly.

"Sure," she said and she left. Soon everybody at the table got up and lef the table.

Draco caught up with Harry and started talking to him in low tones. "I'm not dumb you know. This Snuffles guy was their secret-keeper, and you know this guy. Sounds like you recommended him, actually. If you get carried away playing the hero, it eventually catches up with you."

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"I'm not done gloating. You see, you didn't deserve that girl in the first place. What was that you were saying about going out with her? Looks like you're out of the race."

"And you're in? That's a joke."

"Is it? If I ask Snape for a love potion, he'll ask 'How much do you need?'"

Harry was red in the face and his fists were clenched. "Harry," said Hermione placatingly. Harry looked at her. "We'll be late for class," she said. Harry left reluctantly, knowing that this time Malfoy had the last word.   


* * *

It was difficult for Harry to concentrate throughout potions. While Snape was warning them at the start of class about the hazardous chemicals they would be working with, thoughts of finding Sirius and trying to make things right with Cho kept racing through his mind.

"Potter!" Snape's voice snapped.

Harry snapped to attention. "Yes?"

"What was I talking about just now?" he snapped.

"You were talking about the hazards of adding too much cowbane to a mixture with saffron and soapwort." Harry had vaguely seen the ingredients that Snape had on his desk, and he was relieved that he had done a lot of reading over the summer, so that he could impress Cho. She would like it if he got better grades.

Snape was caught off-guard. "Yes, that's right. Or what will happen?"

"The cauldron would probably explode," said Harry unsurely.

"Ah," Snape began. "So the great Harry Potter finally decides to apply himself. I knew your parents; they were brilliant, you know. Head Boy and Head Girl. I saw your potential since the beginning, and I watched you waste it. Do you know how much energy and time I've wasted on students who now work for people with half their brainpower? Though you've obviously showed courage outside of class, I was beginning to think you too were a coward on the academic battlefield." Snape saw that everybody was looking at him. "Get back to work, all of you," he snapped, and he returned to pacing around the room.

"I'm not going to repeat the life of my parents," Harry said quietly to Ron and Hermione. "They loved me, but I'm still an orphan. I'd rather be alone all my life than have my child experience the same thing."

Ron and Hermione stared at him, obviously not knowing what to say.

"We have to find Sirius and see what he knows," continued Harry while they were chopping up saffron.

"You have to tell Cho that Sirius couldn't have done it," said Ron in a low voice.

"Find Sirius first," Hermione whispered. "Then tell Cho what you know."   


* * *

As soon as he was done with classes, Harry rushed to his room and wrote a letter to Sirius.

Sirius,   
Where are you? Cho's parents were attacked. Can you meet me as soon as possible at the cave? You have to tell me all you know.   
--Harry

He gave it to Hedwig, and Hedwig flew off. That night, Harry received a response.

Harry,   
I don't know anything. I left the night that I became their secret keeper and right now I'm checking up on the old crowd at Arabella Figg's house. Lupin and   
Mundungus Fletcher are here, too. I can be at the cave tonight, but I honestly don't know. I didn't betray them, Harry. You know that I wouldn't. It hurts for you   
not to trust me, but I guess it's better for you to be paranoid. I should be at the cave by 9 o'clock. Those poor parents. I hope they're still alive.   
--Sirius

Harry read it, handed it to his friends, and dashed up to his room to find his invisibility cloak so he could sneak into Hogsmeade. The cloak was not there. Harry couldn't believe it. He raced back down to the common room and went up to Ron and Hermione. "Did any of you take it?"

"Take what?" Hermione asked.

"My invisibility cloak," he said in a low voice. "It's gone."

Ron and Hermione shook their heads. The cloak had been stolen.   


* * *

Harry decided to go anyway. He quietly found the statue of the old hag, tapped it on the nose, and left without being spotted. Eventually, Harry got to the cave and found that Sirius was waiting in his dog form.

Sirius transformed into his human form. "I had nothing to do with it, Harry,." he said firmly.

"I need proof," said Harry.

"Remus, Arabella, and Mundungus can vouch for my whereabouts at the time."

"Not good enough," Harry said firmly. "You didn't have to be there. All you would have had to do was tell a Death Eater where Cho's parents were, and they would have taken it from there."

"But you know I wouldn't do that!" Sirius exclaimed. "I cannot believe that you don't trust me!"

"I do," said Harry unsurely. "But I have to convince Cho that you're innocent."

Sirius half-smiled. "I thought you liked her."

Harry had slight feelings of relief that Sirius knew, because Harry had been meaning to tell him. But Harry was still angry and frustrated. "I need proof that you didn't contact anyone."

Sirius sighed. "I'll account for every minute. You left, and then I went into the forest to get some dinner. You forgot to get me something to eat," he added with a grin. "But don't worry about it," he said quickly. "Anyway, immediately after that, I mounted Buckbeak and left for Arabella's. The flight took four hours," said Sirius. "That would have been 1 AM here when I arrived at Arabella's. Everybody else was already there, but it was late. I also had, what's the Muggle word, jet lag." Sirius grinned. Harry found it frustrating and ironic that Sirius always seemed to be the jokester. "I knocked on the door, they let me in, and I fell asleep for 8 straight hours. I woke up at 9 AM, got breakfast, and then we all started planning. Later, I received your letter, replied, and left for this cave. That brings us to here."

"You didn't tell any of them about your new responsibility?"

"No. I wasn't sure that I even wanted to tell Lupin. It's difficult, you know, to trust. Especially if the person you trusted, Wormtail, ends up messing up your entire life."

"You're sure you didn't talk in your sleep or anything?"

"I slept as a dog. Sometimes I do that just to keep my transfiguration spell sharp. And dogs don't talk in their sleep, at least not in any language humans know."

Harry sighed. "Do you think Cho would believe us? I could try to bring her here, but I don't even know if she'll speak to me."

"What happened at dinner?"

"Cho wasn't there. I didn't really want to speak to her friends, either, because they probably hate me. Only Lindsay really trusts me, but I think it has a lot to do with her being new here. She's not a close friend of Cho yet. But I think she likes me, Lindsay that is. Oh, and Lindsay's dad is the detective in town, and he says that it was definitely a magical attack."

"What's the detective's name?"

"McCourt."

"Thought so. He's a good man, from what I've heard. I never met him. I hate a lot of the enforcement at the ministry, but I hear that this man is fair. What happened to David and Jen?"

"Unconscious still, I think. They're under heavy protection. There's no way you can see them. We haven't cleared your name yet."

"No. In fact, now there's more allegations for me to deal with. I think you have to bring Cho here."

"You're an escaped convicted felon who she barely knows. The day after her parents trust their lives to you, they're attacked and in serious condition. You've got an uphill battle to fight, Sirius."

"Story of my life, Harry," said Sirius. They both grinned. "I can meet her tomorrow night; that's easy. The hard part is getting her here."   


* * *

The next morning, before breakfast, Harry went to the clearing in the Forbidden Forest to look for Cho. From a distance he saw her sitting on the grass as he approached. He continued to walk solemnly towards her until he was at the edge of the clearing. Then something he saw made him stop.

Her head was buried in her hands and he could plainly see that she was crying. Harry felt a sickness in the pain of his stomach as it dawned on him that Cho might have just become an orphan like him. Harry didn't wish orphanhood on anyone, especially not Cho. Before he knew it, Harry was quite close to her and tears were running down his cheeks. He still made no sound. At last, when it became too unbearable hearing her mourn, Harry dropped down to his knees some distance away from her.

She turned her head in his direction. "Harry," she said. "My parents . . . passed away. The doctors could only make sure that there was no pain."

Harry's heart sank and the guilt came flooding back to him.

"I trusted you, Harry," she continued. "Yesterday, I trusted my parents' life to the most wanted man in the wizarding world--a person I barely knew--because I trusted you. Today, my parents died."

"Cho--" Harry began in a sorrowful voice.

"But I still trust you," she continued solemnly.

Harry looked up, but couldn't think of anything to say. She was still beautiful, though she was still crying quietly and she had a pained expression on her face.

"My parents never hurt anybody," Cho continued. "They could fight, but they never chose to. My father wrote controversial articles in the weekly newspaper that criticized Mr. Fudge and the Death Eaters, among other things. But he always told the truth, and he tried to be fair. My Mom was a bit of an oddball. She's written long poems on snowflakes, houses, and peanuts." She half-smiled.

Harry chuckled nervously.

"They didn't deserve to die at such a young age. They had so many hopes and dreams and unachieved goals."

Harry wondered if Cho was now talking about his parents as well.

"Whoever killed them has no heart," she said solemnly.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest and to their parents' voices in their head. Finally, Harry said, "I can take you to see Sirius. At the cave where we met earlier. At 9 PM tonight. Bring the sword if you like. If he's the one who betrayed you, the I will have no objections if you try to seek revenge." He paused and looked at her expression, but it revealed nothing. "I still believe him to be innocent," Harry continued. "Somehow, and I know this sounds crazy--because Voldemort can't find someone hidden by a secret-keeper unless the keeper talks--but I don't think that Sirius had anything to do with it."

Cho finally spoke. "This is so hard for me." She paused. "Tonight, I would like to see Sirius."

Harry hesitated, because he remembered something else that he wanted to say. "Cho, I'm sorry about Cedric. It's partly my fault that--"

Cho quickly put a finger to his lips and stopped him. "It's not your fault," she said.

Harry sighed. "I know that you . . . wept for him," Harry said.

"I still mourn him," Cho said. "And I always will. He was a good friend since our first year together at Hogwarts," she said. "You didn't kill him. In fact, you brought his body back to his parents at risk to your own life, and you offered to give your winnings to his parents."

"How did you know about . ." He trailed off.

"Cedric's parents and mine have been close. I will never forget him."

"But," Harry blurted out. "Did you . . . ever love him?"

Cho half-smiled. "As a friend. The same way that Hermione, for example, loves you."   


* * *

"Why does he care so much for her?" Hermione asked Ron in the Great Hall. She was eating breakfast with Ron and Ginny, but Harry was talking to Cho at a separate table in the corner of the Hall. They were talking about their memories of their parents. Ron and Hermione watched from a distance.

"Because she's beautiful," Ron said. "And fun. Well, maybe not right now. Right now she's mourning, but usually she's--"

"Perfect," said Ginny with some bitterness.

"Actually, yeah," said Ron. Hermione and Ginny glared at him.

"Harry always gets the best," said Ron without any bitterness. He shrugged. "We should be happy for him. The best broom. The best Quidditch ability. The best bank account. The best heroic accomplishments. The best girl. There's an obvious pattern."

"He hardly knows her is the point," Hermione said. "But he trusted her with maybe his greatest secret: Sirius Black. Why?"

"Because she could have kicked Bruce Lee's butt if she lived in the 70's," Ron said with some irritated sarcasm. "Does it matter? Look what it did to her in the end." He looked at their faces. "Well, maybe it wasn't Snuffles' fault." He paused. "Did you think that Harry would only trust Gryffindors? Don't try to analyze Harry's mind; he thinks differently from the rest of us."

"Actually, he's not that complicated," Ginny said. "He just helps people without thinking. That's why he's so different."

"It doesn't hurt that Cho's gorgeous," said Ron. He was still staring at her.

Ginny rolled her eyes, and then she started staring at Harry.

"Oh honestly!" Hermione exclaimed. She groaned audibly, looked at Ron with a strange expression on her face, and then resumed eating lunch.   


* * *

A/N: A non-cliffhanger ending for this chapter. What will happen when Cho meets up with Sirius? Will Ron and Hermione finally have a serious talk? Which relationships are platonic and which relationships are not? Who took the cloak? Will Cho chop off Sirius' ear if he says the wrong thing? Find out in chapter 5. (Sorry; I used to read comic books).

The magical herb names were obtained from the creepy website http://www.quantal.demon.co.uk/saga/ooc/herbs.html#herblist. I found this relatively useful (for finding strange herb names) website on the internet. I am NOT a believer in any of that stuff, though the people who made the website apparently believe in it. I am a religious Catholic, as you may have suspected. You may have also guessed that I am an Asian-American. *People who are fed up with Cho groan*

Have you seen Starling's picture of the Hogwarts students yet? That's how I picture Cho now. Again, the address is http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/i/z/izcovich.


	5. Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, locations, or ideas from J.K. Rowling's books or the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Chapter 5: Confrontations   


Harry met Cho at the witch's statue and they used the secret passageway to get into Hogsmeade.

"I've corrupted you, too," said Harry when they arrived in Hogsmeade. "You know, now you're a rule-breaker."

Cho smiled nervously. "I had no choice. I'm not breaking the rules to cause trouble, am I? You're the only one here who's corrupt." Cho winked at him and she started leading the way toward the cave. Harry stared at the Sword of Ravenclaw in a sheath strapped on her back.

Harry smiled. "I guess it runs in my blood," he said. And then he jogged to catch up with her.

The conversation with Sirius became more pragmatic than Harry or Sirius expected. Sirius repeated the same story to Cho that he had told Harry. Cho listened intently and then said that she believed him. "Who could have done it?"

"A Death Eater," said Harry. "One who got lucky and stumbled on your family's secret hiding place. Someone who may have secretly eavesdropped when you or your parents mentioned the location. Those are my theories."

"We never mentioned the location to anybody except ourselves, and all those conversations took place at the secret place itself. The eavesdropping theory doesn't work. Stumbling on them by pure chance, that's also improbable, don't you agree?"

"Yeah," said Sirius. "Who else has that kind of power? They've been in a coma for how long now? A few days?"

"In my opinion," Cho said, "it looks like a threat on my life. They were' killed, but they weren't the primary targets. Nothing was stolen, either."

"I agree," said Sirius. "You should be careful, Cho."

Cho nodded. "I'm sorry that you couldn't visit them, Sirius. They told me in a letter that they considered you a pretty funny guy."

"It's okay," said Sirius.   


* * *

Ron and Hermione were talking in the common room. Ginny and the twins looked on curiously.

"I am not jealous," Hermione said irritatedly. "I'm just concerned that he might tell her too much. And, well, you have to admit that he's spending decreasingly less time with us, because he's spending more and more time with her."

"Good for him," Ron said. He shrugged.

"No," Ginny jumped in. "It's bad. Harry's bringing her into his world way too fast, and he's getting sucked into hers."

"Not so," said Fred. They all looked at him as he sat down next to Ron. "I'll put myself on the 'Defense of Cho' side of the room."

"Yeah, with all the guys coincidentally," said Hermione sarcastically.

"Yes, with the guys. Anyway, what I'm saying is that Harry and Cho can take care of themselves. They own the secrets, so they can share them if they want. End of story."

Ron gave his brother an approving look.

"Cho isn't good for Harry," Ginny began. Ron groaned. "No, let me finish, Ron. This is just like Percy and Penny. It's an interhouse relationship, and those fail 9 times out of 10, from what I gather. Separate common rooms and all. They're also different ages; moreover, she's older than him! They don't even have any classes together, so there's no real point studying in the library together. Not the best first dating experience for a person. It could really dim their outlooks for life."

"Not at all," said an approaching Lee Jordan. "My older brother Chris went here a few years back and dated an older girl in Hufflepuff. They're married now and they're doing great. You can't just generalize." He then sat on the boys' couch opposite the girls.

"Ha!" Lavender brown said as she made her way to the couch where the girls were sitting. "Cho's a dangerous person to be with. Like there isn't enough danger in Harry's life. Cho's parents attacked and there's no suspect? That's scary, my friends."

Ron had enough. "You girls are all just jealous!"

Hermione shouted back. "You boys are all smitten!"

Just then, they heard a familiar voice. "Hi," said Harry. No one had noticed him standing there.

"How long have you been there?" Ginny said blankly.

"I just got here," said Harry. "I was out with Cho and--"

"--doing what?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Seeing _the godfather_," Harry said with irritation in his voice. Ron and Hermione weren't offended at all. The code word, though never used before, was obvious to them.

"Okay, you don't want to talk about it," Lavender began.

"Not really," said Harry.

"Hey Harry," Ron said. "Does Cho have any quirks? Imperfections? Some of us are genuinely curious."

Harry was stunned to see several heads nodding in agreement around the room. "No, she's not perfect," Harry said.

"Well?" Lavender said.

"She's a very philosophical person. We'll be talking about nothing, and she'll suddenly remember a Chinese proverb. I never understand the meaning, and that makes me feel awkward."

"And?" Lee Jordan asked.

"And I told her, and she reluctantly agreed to stop. Then I looked at those eyes, and of course I changed my mind. She uses them less now, though. She loves Chinese legends, too. If she gets going, she can go on and on and on. She doesn't have much money. Her father wrote for a weekly newspaper that no one's ever heard of and her Mom had difficulty getting her poems published."

"What did they need martial arts for?" asked Parvati Patil.

"To fight off Ito Mori," Harry said casually. He saw that no one comprehended him. "The tengu," he said. Then he saw nods of understanding. "Ito's ancestors have been trying to wipe out Cho's ancestors for yours. Some age-old grudge. Another imperfection she has is," Harry began, and then stopped. "No, I can't tell you that. In fact, I really shouldn't be talking about her behind her back like this." He looked down at the floor.

"Bad Harry," Ron said. "Harry's going to bang his head against the wall as punishment."

Hermione looked scandalized. "Ron!" she said. "That's not funny!" She paused. "Did you leave her outside the portrait hole? Or did you walk her to her common room?"

"She walked with me to our portrait hole." Harry looked glum. "I had to say goodbye of course, and I couldn't enter until she had turned around the corner--so that she wouldn't hear the password. Stupid rules," he said bitterly.

Ginny gave Ron a gloating look.

Hermione hesitated. "Yes, they are stupid. Come on Harry, let's bring her in the common room!"

Ron looked at her as if he had just seen a ghost. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"

Hermione giggled. "Come on then," she said suddenly. "She can't be that far off yet." She got up and Harry and Ron followed her. Ginny got up and followed as well.

They eventually caught up with Cho, because Harry knew the way she would be taking back to the Ravenclaw common room. He yelled when he saw her. "Cho wait!"

She turned around. "Harry! What is it?" Then she saw Ron, Hermione, and Ginny catch up.

"Come back with us into the common room," Hermione said. "Please?"

Cho hesitated. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Cho," Harry said. "You're corrupted. It happens to anyone who hangs out with me."

"Yes," Ron said. "Harry is a rebel."

Cho giggled. "Thanks for the invitation. I'll go with you, then."   


* * *

At the common room, all the Gryffindors focused their attention on Cho. She was assailled with questions. Harry figured that most of the younger guys had only heard about her. Those guys feigned interest no matter what she talked about. Cho showed a remarakable ability to remember names in the course of her conversations, though.

Finally, the room quieted down somewhat. "Your common room has more color than ours," Cho said to Harry.

"Your common room's not ugly?" Harry asked.

"It's plain and simple," she clarified.

"Minimalist, then?" Hermione asked. She was smiling and she was walking towards them with Ginny.

"Yes, that's the word" Cho said brightly.

"Who wants to play chess?" Ron said loudly while approaching them.

"Could he be any more obvious?" Hermione asked Ginny under her breath.

"Big showoff," Ginny whispered back. She giggled.

Ron ignored them. "Care to challenge the master, Cho? I've only beat one top student so far."

Cho smiled. "Okay, chessmaster. Let's go."

By 10 PM, no work had been accomplished in the common room, but a lot of wizard chess had been played. Ron went undefeated for 20 straight games before all the challengers had played him. "Care for another game, Cho?" Ron asked.

"You bet," said Cho. They played four more games in a row. In the fourth game, Ron lost by one move. Everyone who was watching stared at Ron, and Ron stared at the board. "I haven't lost to anybody since my Dad beat me seven years ago," he confessed.

Harry had seen Cho's competitive side on the Quidditch field before, but he was still impressed.

Ron put away the chess set and Cho moved over to where Harry was siting and sat down next to him. "You have some great students here," she said.

"I know," said Harry. "Almost all of my friends are here."

"Cho," Hermione said. She had moved to where they were sitting.

"Yes?"

"Could I speak to you alone for a while?"

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"My room. Follow me."

Harry watched them leave suspiciously. Well, it was good that they were all warming up to Cho, Harry thought.   


* * *

Hermione's room was empty, because everybody else was in the common room. "Please sit down," Hermione said. Cho did so. "I want to tell you something," she began. She hesitated. "I think I'm in love with Harry."

Cho nodded slowly. "Please, go on."

"That's it," said Hermione. "I get really jealous when he raves about how great you are and when I see you and him together. It's . . the only rational explanation. I love him, and I just found out."

"You feel jealous."

"Yes. Intense and overwhelming envy. Maybe I'm just possessive of my friends, you might be thinking. But for some reason I can't explain, I know it's more. And, curses, I've known him longer than you! I've thought for him, feared for him, and fought for him. I traveled back in time with him to save Sirius. I've sacrificed for him. But you--" She trailed off and suddenly looked shocked with what she had just said. "I'm sorry."

"Hermione," Cho began. "You're the sister he never had."

"No!" Hermione said loudly. "I don't want to be . . just . . that."

"You want to be his girl."

"Yes. I'm sorry. But I do."

Cho didn't know what to say. Tears started falling down Hermione's cheeks. Cho got up and hugged her. "It's easy to fall in love with Harry," Cho said while patting Hermione on the back.

Hermione finally let go. "I know he loves you instead. Here I am saying that you don't deserve him, when you're the one who deserves him the most. But I have to tell him," she said finally as the door to the room opened.

"Tell who?" Ginny asked as she entered.

"Tell Harry," Hermione began. She wiped her tears quickly with the backs of her hands. "Tell him that I love him."

Ginny just stared at Hermione. "That's impossible, Hermione. Don't you love Ron?"

Hermione hesitated. "Not in the same way," she said finally. She paused. "Well, maybe if he didn't act like a git so much." They all laughed.

"Back at the Burrow that's called a 'Ron-ism'," Ginny added. Then they heard the sounds of several footsteps ascending the stairs. "Everyone's turning in," she said gently to Cho.

Cho nodded. "I'll see you." And she left.   


* * *

Hermione told Ginny that she would tell Harry the next day. That night, however, Hermione couldn't sleep. Eventually she checked the clock and saw that it was 4 AM. Hermione quit and decided to take a Muggle book, Pride and Prejudice (for you Heidi Tandy!), and read for a while in the common room. She descended the stairs and saw, to her surprise, that she would not be alone. Harry was sitting in a chair facing the fireplace, reading what she recognized to be the textbook for History of Magic.

"Harry," she said, unsure of herself.

Harry was startled to hear her voice. He turned around and saw that her hair was messier than usual from tossing and turning. "I was just reading."

"You do this regularly, don't you? You're trying to get really good grades to impress Cho."

"Yeah, I admit I am. Sit down if you want." She did so.

"You already have her affection," Hermione said solemnly.

"Well, then, this is a good habit anyway I think."

"Sleeping is a good habit too, I think," Hermione teased.

"Yes it is," said Harry.

Hermione hesitated. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you."

Harry wasn't sure what she was going to say. He placed his bookmark and shut his textbook. "Okay. Sure. What did you want to talk about?"

"Harry, I'm in love with you." She said quickly, and then she suddenly appeared relieved. "I just realized it. I noiticed that I get so jealous when you talk about Cho like she's perfect. And you smile when you're with her in a different way than you smile at others. I don't know how long I've felt this way."

Harry felt guilty, but he was surer than anything about which girl he loved. "Hermione, I had a pretty good idea already." He grinned, but she returned only a half-smile. "You know that I love you too, but as a friend. I'm in love with Cho instead."

Hermione started to cry. She suddenly hugged Harry. Harry wished that Cho wouldn't enter the portrait just now. Finally, she let go of him.

"You said that Cho already likes me?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Of course she does," Hermione said casually. "You two are perfect for each other."   


* * *

The next day, Harry asked Cho out at dinner.

She smiled happily and hugged him. "Of course, Harry," she said into his ear. Most of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, who had a habit of staring at Harry and Cho over mealtimes, suddenly erupted in applause. The Hufflepuffs joined in when they realized what was going on. Harry mused to himself that only Draco and a flask of love potion could screw things up now.   


* * *

A/N: I think that's a good place to stop this chapter. Sorry if that was too fluffy for you. Perhaps a more accurate chapter title would have been, "Pottermaniac's Positions--for the purposes of this story--Clarified." But what about the relationship between Ron and Hermione? I know that not much really happened in this chapter, but the meat of the action commences in the next one.


	6. Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.   


Chapter 6: Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw

Even though Cho was happy to be Harry's girlfriend, Harry saw that she was not totally happy. It was, of course, natural to mourn, and Harry also regretted the passing of Cho's parents. However, the first Quidditch game of the season, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, was the most anticipated game in a long time. Not only would this be the first game in roughly a year, but its main matchup was between two seekers who were undoubtedly the most talked-about couple in the school. Harry and Cho seemed unaffected, however, spending roughly the same amount of time with each other as before. The Gryffindors had a generally good relationship with the Ravenclaws, anyway; if Cho was the Slytherin seeker, however, then there would be quite a bit of tension around the school.

This year, Ron was on the team. With money he received from the twins, Ron had bought his own Nimbus 2000 and had taken over Oliver Wood's position of keeper. Harry hoped that Ron didn't know that the twins' newfound wealth was Harry's winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. Both Harry and Ron were quite excited about being on the team together, and Harry thought that Ron did indeed laugh more these days. Their friendship seemed to be growing stronger.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the common room the day before the match. Ron had been tapping his foot on the floor. "Harry," he said suddenly, "don't go easy on her, please! She can be dangerous. You could get your first real loss and cost us the cup!"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione replied, "don't take this so seriously. You don't have to be so dramatic."

"That's what you think," Ron countered.

"We've talked about it," said Harry finally. "The best thing for us is to both try our best and see who wins." He shrugged and then returned to his history of magic textbook.

"Sounds easy in principle," Ron allowed. "But what if something unexpected happens?"   


* * *

The day of the game, Harry found himself in the locker room with the jitters. "Harry," said Fred nervously, "you have to get the Snitch. Girlfriend or not. Show no mercy."

"I know," said Harry casually. "I just have this strange feeling that something bad is gonna happen."

"Um, that doesn't really comfort us," said George.   


* * *

Harry and the Gryffindors saw the Ravenclaws out on the grounds. It was a clear, quiet night with a crescent moon overhead. The stands were packed and the cheers had already begun. Harry looked for Cho on the other side as he mounted his broom. She gave him a thumbs up. He did the same. Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and the players shot up into the air.

Harry and Cho looked for the golden snitch from separate locations high in the air. Amongst all the players and all the yells, Harry mentally kept track of the score by listening to Lee Jordan. Gryffindor led by a score of 10, then 20, then 30, to 0. Finally, a Ravenclaw chaser put a goal in past Ron. Harry looked back at Ron, who grinned as if to say that now he was serious.

Harry looked back at the field and then focused on Cho. She was staring at a point slightly below, maybe 30 feet above the ground. Harry decided that he should turn his head away and look elsewhere.

But then Cho made a shallow and quick dive, and Harry's eyes suddenly looked down and he saw it as well: the golden snitch was flying quite close to her. He instinctively started dashing toward the snitch, knowing that she had a head start and that all eyes were now on them. There was still a slight chance that he could make it there. As Cho approached within 5 feet of the snitch, Harry saw something happen to Cho that made him feel immediately sick. Cho's broom suddenly started plummeting straight down, and it was obvious that there was no way that Cho could control it. Suddenly, he saw her eyes close, her head fall as if some unseen force had rendered her unconscious. He immediately dove with a combination of speed and angle of descent that was unprecedented for him, but his brain determined that this was the only angle that gave him hope. As he approached Cho and her plummeting broom, Harry found himself praying for some miracle. He also noticed that several players were watching as if frozen by shock.   


* * *

"What is he doing?!" Ron screamed from the stands.

"He's trying to save Cho!" said Hermione. She grabbed Ron's hand and held on.

"Why is he always doing that?" Ron said in frustration while keeping his eyes transfixed on Harry.

"It's automatic for him, like I said," Ginny said while staring at Harry with mouth agape.

"It's in his blood," Ron added. "His Dad saved Snape, for heaven's sake. Harry'd probably risk his life for Malfoy if it came to that."   


* * *

As Harry neared within a few feet of Cho, he saw that there was almost no way he could catch up to her. He could only resort to one crazy idea. When he was only three feet off the ground, he let go of the broom and lunged off it in Cho's direction with arms outstretched. The air was knocked out of him as Cho, still holding onto the broom, landed in his arms. He fell on the grassy bottom, still holding her, and the wind was knocked out of him once again. He thought he heard one simultaneous gasp from the crowd. He lay there and stared at his unconscious girlfriend. Her eyes were still shut and her hands still held on to the broom with a grip so strong that he could not open her fingers.

A familiar voice broke his reverie. "Harry."

Harry looked over his shoulder to see George floating nearby. "Harry," George continued, "the game's not over."

Harry felt suddenly revolted. "I don't care about your stupid game! We need Madame Pomfrey right away!" he shouted.

George cringed slightly, stared past Harry, and then said placatingly, "Harry, Pomfrey's heading your way."

He looked in the direction in which George was looking and indeed saw Madame Pomfrey. "I'm sorry," he said finally.

"Forget about it," said George dismissively. Harry saw some other players head his way to support George. "We're leading by 30. Get the snitch. Cho will be fine."

Harry let go of Cho finally and saw that his broom was lying on the grass in fine condition. He walked over to it, mounted it, and looked skyward for the snitch. He was so angry with the whole game. He looked around the entire field from the below until he finally saw it. Flying at a tremendous speed skyward, he heard the sounds of the crowd reawakening. He looked around as he ascended, noticing two bludgers come his way from two different directions. He dodged both of them deftly while his speed was undeterred. Finally, he caught the snitch and the game was over. He heard cheers. Instead of relishing the victory, he quickly dove down to the spot where he had left Cho. They were mounting her on a magical stretcher now, and as Harry approached, they were quickly transporting her to the infirmary inside. He quickly made plans to spend as much time as possible that night and every other day thereafter watching her until she recovered.

He knew that several people would love to congratulate him, but he was not in the mood. He finally reached the ground, dismounted, and carried his broom with him as he raced after Madame Pomfrey and the students who were assisting her. When Harry finally arrived outside the hospital door, he estimated that they had been in there ahead of him for a few minutes. He knocked on the door anxiously until it opened partially.

"Harry," Pomfrey's voice said as if she expected him. She had a cross expression on her face.

She started to say something when Dumbledore's voice came from within the room. "Let him in, Poppy," said Dumbledore.

Pomfrey opened the door the whole way. Harry mumbled his thanks and walked in nervously. He saw that Cho was on the hospital bed with her eyes still closed and the broom still in her white-knuckled hands. "She'll be fine, Harry," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "She was a victim of some powerful dark magic," he said sternly. "She is unconscious and her hands were specifically forced to hold onto the broom. Pomfrey says that if you were a second too late, then she would have died. I would think that whoever did this did not count on you making that dive."

Harry did not know how to reply.

"I need only give her some of this root," Dumbledore continued. "She will recover by sometime tonight. It takes most people roughly 24 hours, but I would think that she is a strong enough person to recover before morning. Poppy," he said. Pomfrey looked at him. "Please accomodate Harry for tonight. I think that he will not be able to sleep anyway. Perhaps he deserves to be the first to talk to her."

"Yes, Albus," said Pomfrey reluctantly, and she left to presumably check on other patients.

"I too must leave to take care of other pressing matters," said Dumbledore. "That was a brave thing you did, Harry," the headmaster continued.

"It was instinctive," said Harry. "It just happened, Dumbledore. I'm just glad that she'll be OK."

Dumbledore smiled. "Bye Harry," he said as he left the infirmary.

Harry watched Cho for a while and wondered who on earth would do this. It was eerily similar to what Quirrel had done to him several years ago, but Quirrel was gone. First, she was orphaned. Then, she was attacked at a Quidditch match. It seemed that the sinister joke was to make all the bad things that happened to Harry happen to Cho.   
The door suddenly opened, and Ron and Hermione entered.

"We brought your homework," said Hermione as they entered.

"My idea," said Ron. "You're going to be here all night according to Dumbledore. He talked to us just outside the door."

"Thanks," said Harry. They chatted about the events of the night until Ron and Hermione left at close to midnight.   


* * *

At 2 AM, Cho stirred. Harry reacted reflexively. "Cho?" he said anxiously.

"Harry?" she said. She opened her eyes, looked at the broom, and let go of it.

"You were made unconscious and then your hands were commanded to hold onto the broom and then your broom plummetted . . " He trailed off, because it was hard to relive the experience.

"And then you saved me," Cho filled in. She saw his startled expression. "Before I slipped into unconsciousness, I saw you begin to dive to catch me. Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome," he said finally. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"This is very sweet of you," Cho said happily.

Harry blushed furiously. "Well, er, you would have done the same for me."

"I would have tried at least," Cho said. "Come on," she said as she got out of the hospital bed and picked up her broom. "We need to get to our dormitories. I'll tell you what I remember from the experience along the way."

He held the door open for her and they stepped out into the hall. Holding hands, he walked her to the portrait in front of the Ravenclaw common room. Along the way, Cho said that she had heard voices saying, "Die Cho."

"This is about you?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I think it's about us," said Cho unsurely. They said goodbye and then Harry finally left Cho to head back to his dormitory and sleep.   


* * *

A/N: This scene was added after the story was completed. I realized that I had to include some Quidditch. More importantly, these extra scenes made the plot much stronger and better developed. However, adding this chapter forced me to change the ending somewhat and change chapter 6 into 7, chapter 7 into 8, etc. One of the many advantages of the Harry/Cho pairing at this point is that I could do this Quidditch scene. There's no way I could do it with H/G or something. In chapter 7, we get some clues as to what the evil force is.

Note added 3/31. A few days after publishing this inserted chapter, I saw Starling's wonderful picture "Seekers" for the first time. (http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/i/z/izcovich) An eerie coincidence, huh? If I had seen that picture earlier, I would probably have been inspired to write this chapter even better! Starling, what have you done to me? I like Cho way too much now!


	7. Opposites Attract

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.

Chapter 7: Opposites Attract   


It was the week before the exams and Christmas holiday. It had been weeks since the last threat from the Death Eaters, so the magical community generally felt a mix of relief and wariness. Harry was the wariest of them all. He continued to spend plenty of time in the early morning hours teaching himself. It wasnt' about the grades anymore, as it was about learning as much as he could. Moody was the most pleased with Harry's progress, but Harry did not share the great admiration for Moody that every member of the faculty and every other one of Moody's students had for the man. Harry never told anyone that he was disappointed with Moody, because it seemed like he was the only one. They would probably all suspect that his distrust stemmed from memories of the imposter of Mad-Eye Moody, Barty Crouch.

But that wasn't it. The problem was that Harry felt the class was moving too slowly. Harry knew that Voldemort would strike eventually, and Harry wanted to be prepared for anything. Instead of thinking about Quidditch, Harry would recite to himself the names of monsters and how to defeat every one of them. Harry mentally recited the names of spells and the effects of each. He was driven by a sense of despiration, because he knew that this time Voldemort would not underestimate him. Harry stayed after nearly every class to ask questions of his professors about advanced magic and about their most important magical experiences. The faculty met together one day and agreed that Harry was indeed more serious about the threat of Voldemort than most of them were. The sacrifice Harry made was that he withdrew slightly from both his friends.

This was during the short periods when Harry wasn't thinking about Cho. For finals week, they had both planned to do a lot more studying than usual. It was really hard on Harry. Harry and Cho were boyfriend and girlfriend, but all they really took a break from this week was long chats. They had never even kissed. Somehow, Cho managed to keep tutoring students despite a regular diet of studying. Harry still didn't know where she got her energy.

If they ever asked, Harry was reluctant to explain how much he had been studying. If Ron, or especially Hermione, asked him how he did on a test, they would have to drag it out of him. He was almost embarrassed with how well he was doing now that he was applying himself so much. However, he didn't think he should make his friends any edgier and more concerned than they already were. Harry was most concerned with Cho. Her parents had recovered, but they did not which wizard attacked them. They, too, believed that the attack had nothing to do with Sirius, their secret-keeper.   


* * *

Ron and Hermione consequently spent much more time together, though without Harry for a mediator, they found themselves getting into arguments more frequently than before.

"Come on Hermione, you've been studying for four hours straight. Come back to the Common Room with me and we'll have some pointless conversations or you could take a nap."

"For the last time, no. Ron, don't you know that the other students in the top five are studying harder than ever? I have to keep up with them in order to stay the top student."

"Um, no you don't."

"Easy for you to say, Ron. You don't care about your grades."

"Yes I do! It's just that I also have a life, and I care about my friends and about relaxation and sleep and having a good time."

"So do I. It's just that now is a time to be serious."

"Yes it is. But not just serious about your grades. Do you really want to say that you spent your whole fifth year in the library and in class?"

"No." This was a silly argument, she thought. This could go on forever, though she actually kind of enjoyed the break. "I've spent loads of time at the Great Hall, too," she added with mock enthusiasm.

Ron laughed. "I'm serious, Hermione. You're studying more than ever, because this year you can. The, um, threats from the Dark Wizards aren't there. So why can't you just enjoy that fact and not take it for granted?"

"I'm not taking it for granted, Ron." She suddenly realized how little attention she and Ron paid to the other person's point of view. "I'm taking advantage of the extra study time, just like everybody else. You should be studying too. Especially potions," she added that with a little bit of regret. Ron was doing quite poorly in potions this term, and if he didn't do really well on the mid-term, he would not pass the class.

Ron just stared at her and that at the ground.

"Oh Ron," Hermione began. "I'm sorry." She looked at the History of Magic textbook in front of her. She already knew all of this stuff by heart. She should really help him. She asked carefully, "Ron, do you want some help with potions?"

"No!" There was panic in Ron's voice. Both Ron and Hermione were stunned by his reply. Hermione looked down at her book again, feeling stupid and defeated. Ron looked at her, and then sighed. "Hermione, I'm sorry. You were only trying to help. But, well, it's a sensitive subject. The reason I don't study is because I don't want to become some dungeon-dwelling potions master like Snape or a nerd like . . like . . " He trailed off, but the damage was done.

"Like who?" Hermione's temper flared up and the pity disappeared. "Nerd, am I? I was going to help you with potions, being a nerd and all. But since you'd rather waste your career at Hogwarts and fail--"

"You're right," interrupted Ron quietly.

Hermione was startled. "I know," she said. "I'm really being hurtful, aren't I? I'm sorry. I'm really stressed out. Didn't you want to get out of here? Let's go."

Ron's expression suddenly changed into a smile. "I do have thick skin you know. Yeah, I wanted to get out of here at first, but let's stay. I'll make a deal with you. I let you tutor me for an hour in potions, and then you and I go to Hogsmeade. We'll try to bring Harry, but if he's sleeping in again then that's his fault." Ron smiled.

"You'll _let_ me tutor you? Is that supposed to be a joke?" She smiled. She put her book away and took out her potions textbook. Ron hadn't brought any books with him; he had only planned to get Hermione out of the library and into the common room. She took out a quill and a clean piece of parchment in case she had to write down some notes. "Okay, do you have a specific question, or should we just start from the top?"

Ron thought about this for a while. He couldn't think of any good questions to ask. He was trying to think of something truly impressive, but he couldn't. He then realized how little he had cared about potions recently. Well, Snape was getting meaner, he justified to himself. That class was consistently the worst part of the school day. Hermione kept staring at him with patience in her eyes, but she was tapping her finger on the table. Ron noticed. "I . . .er . . haven't been studying much, have I? Let's just start from the top, shall we?"

Hermione rolled her eyes in mock frustration. She had expected as much, and so she playfully began with a patronizing question. "Okay, what's the foundation of the science of potions?"

"Chemistry," said Ron instantly. Both of them became really uncomfortable suddenly, and then Hermione resumed her tutoring with more careful questions.   


* * *

Some time later, Harry entered the library and sat next to Ron at the table. "I have to talk to Cho. Have you seen her?"

"No, Harry, not at all," said Ron. "We can tell her whatever it is if we see her. What did you want to tell her?"

"Nothing," Harry said simply. "I just want to be with her. To talk about anything. Anyway, I'll let you get back to studying. I've been in the common room; it's nice and quiet there right now. Come with me?"

"Sure," Hermione said. Harry and Ron helped her with her books and they all left together.   


* * *

Exams went well for everybody. As soon as Harry finished his last exam, which he aced, he raced to the classroom where he knew Cho would be finishing her last exam. She was already waiting outside when he got there. "Are you staying over break?" Harry asked.

Cho gave him a strange look. "Harry, I'm going home."

Harry looked crushed.

Cho gave him a funny sort of smile.

"What?" Harry asked defensively.

"I live in Hogsmeade, remember?" Cho said.

Harry hit his forehead with the palm of his right hand. "Wow," he said. "My brain's not functioning well anymore."

"Midterms can do that sometimes," Cho said.

"Yeah."   


* * *

Christmas break was fun for Harry and his friends. On Christmas morning, Hermione sneaked Cho into the Gryffindor common room. They all came up to surprise Harry and Ron with presents.

Hermione and Ginny nudged Ron, and Cho nudged Harry. The two boys woke with a start. Ron smiled mischievously. "Hey Harry, can you picture a better wake-up call?"

Harry grinned. "No I can't."

The girls grabbed pillows and pelted the boys until they surrendered. Presents were distributed in an orderly fashion. Harry received a sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a book on Quidditch from Ron, another broom maintenance kit from Hermione, and a locket and chain from Cho. Harry examined it carefully, and then opened up the locket. Inside was a picture of Cho and Harry waving at the camera from a trip to Hogsmeade a few days before. Harry surprised Cho with a hug that made her blush furiously.

"You do way too many push-ups," Cho said when he released her. "You almost broke my arm," she teased.

Ron was busy opening his presents: a book on the Chudley Cannons from Harry, another oddly-colored sweater from his Mom, some items from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes from Cho, a goofy picture of Ginny from Ginny, and a golden quill with his name engraved on it from Hermione.

"I could kiss you," Ron blurted out.

Everyone was shocked.

"Well," Ron continued unabashed. "Can't go out of sequence I guess. Hermione, go out with me?"

Hermione blushed. "Why not?" she joked.

"I'm warning you, I'm still gonna kiss you for this."

"Ron, it's just a quill," Ginny pointed out.

"It's a gold quill. Anyone who doesn't want to see this, _Ginny_, should turn their head away now."

"Just get on with it already, you git," Hermione said impatiently.

Ron kissed her.

"Okay, Hermione," Cho said. "Time for your presents."

"You already got mine," said Ron mischievously.

"What?" Hermione said. "You mean you didn't get me anything? Someone hand me a pillow." Ginny enthusiastically obliged and Hermione pelted Ron with cotton until he apologized. Everyone was laughing by the time Hermione quit.

"Maybe you should have just broken up with me," Ron said. "Then at least my head wouldn't be hurting right now."   


* * *

The rest of the year went by smoothly. Before they knew it, Harry and his friends were eating breakfast during the second to the last week of the school year.

"This is about the time when heroics are in order," Ron said in a monotone.

"Hopefully not this time," said Hermione.

Just then, Harry received a strange note from an old owl. The owl, having delivered the note, flew off immediately. Harry read it aloud for Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to hear:

Harry--   
I'm still here. The wizard who killed Mr. and Mrs. Chang. As you can guess, I used the diversion from those dumb Death Eaters. I'm still in the castle. You've   
got that map, right? Find me if you can.

Harry gave Cho a concerned look. She was lost for words, though obviously angry.

"Is this some sick joke?" Harry said aloud.

"I don't think so," said Hermione. "He's mocking us, whoever he is. I guess we'll have to find him."

"This annual pattern is really disturbing!" Harry exclaimed with irritation. Cho reached out and put her hand on his, and he was soon staring in her eyes.

"Of course we're not going to a teacher or anything," Ron said, interrupting Harry's stagnant train of thought.

"Because it might be bogus?" Hermione said.

"I was gonna say," Ron corrected, "that we never go to teachers in these situations."

"Unwritten rule," joked Harry.

"Are all the Gryffindors crazy," Cho asked. "Or just the ones I know?" She saw the looks on their faces and the spoons, including Harry's, were al prepared to launch food at her. "I was joking," she said hurriedly. "That's my coping mechanism. Otherwise, I would have grabbed that note from you, copied it, and thrown it in the fireplace."   


* * *

In the common room that afternoon, Harry and his friends were the only ones present. They tried to piece the puzzle together. "In the castle, that's a great hint," said Ron.

"The castle's only so big," Ginny said sarcastically. "It's like finding hay in a haystack."

"Or a nerd in Ravenclaw," Harry teased.

"Or a loser in Gryffindor," came a somewhat familiar voice.

Ron nearly jumped. "Malfoy?!"

The face of Draco appeared, and then the rest of Draco. He had a self-satisfied expression on his face.

"You took my cloak!" Harry said. He got up instantly.

" I did not," replied Draco. "Look at the design. Feel it." He threw it at Harry.

"Different material," Harry admitted after examining it. "My fault." He threw it back at Malfoy.

"You've been spying on us?" Cho asked incredulously.

"I've been in and out of this place all year," said Draco casually. "Great stories you people tell. You saved the Weasley girl in the Chamber of Secrets? Impressive."

"What do you want?" Ron said.

"I want to help you. I know where the person is who wrote that note," Malfoy said.

"Because you're in league with him?" Ron challenged.

"No," Draco said irritably. "I overheard the name from my father's lips over the winter break. The person who ordered that pathetic siege. I give you the name, you find the person on your blasted map, and then you go save the day."

"Why should we trust you?" Harry said.

"Have I reported Cho?"

"No, but this could be your first time here," said Ginny.

"Fine. I could mention what you talked about yesterday if it makes you feel any better. Arguing about the best European cheese? Mercy. Or maybe you still don't trust me, in which case I can't convince you. But If I'm leading you into a trap, then there are five of you against the enemy. If you refuse, well, that's also up to you."

"Why did you choose to reveal yourself now?" Ginny asked.

"It looked like Potter was about to pull out that map of his," Draco began. "It would have had a spot labeled 'Malfoy' on it. There was no point in hiding."

"Why are you helping us?" Harry asked.

"Because," Draco hesitated. "Love has . . changed . . me."

Harry thought he saw Draco's eyes flicker towards Ginny momentarily, but he wasn't sure what he saw. It looked like Ginny noticed, though, from the look on her face.

"Where'd you get the cloak?" Ron said.

Draco sighed. "From Snape," he said finally.

"Why would Snape give you something like that?" Ron said.

"Because I asked him for it," Draco said irritably.

"Not good enough," challenged Ron.

"Because he's my uncle!" Draco blurted out.

There was a pause. "Mother's or father's side?" Hermione asked.

"It doesn't matter!" Draco said defensively. "Are we going or not?"

Ron was fuming. "That favoring git! He's living his life through you, trying to make you something you're not--the hero. That's his way of getting back at Harry's dad, is it? Pitiful."

Draco started heading towards Ron. "I'll show you pitiful!" The others broke it up, but Ron and Draco continued to snipe at each other like they wouldn't get another chance.

Ron and Draco finally relaxed somewhat. "What's the name?" Harry asked.

"The name is McCourt," Draco said simply.   


* * *

The showdown happens in chapter 8. I've proposed two theories already for the origin of Snape's meanness. Sorry about the character negligence. Sirius and Creevey brother fans (all 3 of them) are disappointed, I'm sure. The plot took on a life of its own. Sirius disappeared from the picture for too long, maybe.   
  



	8. The Relic of Power

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.

Chapter 8: The Relic of Power   


Harry and his friends quickly found the name on the map. The spot labeled "McCourt" was in a large, oval shaped room located down in the depths. Accessing this room required traveling through several narrow passageways.

"How are you so sure?" Hermione asked Draco along the way.

"It's geneaology, really," Draco replied. "The name McCourt rang a bell when I first heard it. I saw the facial features and it became quite obvious. You see, every member of the Hogwarts Four had a special, enchanted object. The heirs can all use the object which is specifically related to their line."

"Blood lines are your specialty," said Ron. "You are who your parents are, right?"

"Ron, not the time. And yes, blood means something. Maybe not everything, but we're digressing. Right. Harry, according to your stories, weilded the Sword of Gryffindor, Cho there has the Sword of Ravenclaw with her. Riddle, the other heir, has some enchanted item in his possession probably, though no one knows what it is. Anyway, the main thing right now is Hufflepuff. Helga was rumored to have the most powerful object of all. It was called the Relic of Power. No one really saw it, except for the Hogwarts Four. But according to legend, she could do almost anything she wanted with its power."

"We're almost here," said Harry. He was holding the map.

"Where did you get all this information?" Cho asked.

"It's engraved in our memories at a young age," Draco said. "The memories of Death Eater children, that is."

"The luckiest children of all," Ron said sarcastically.

"I'll temporarily ignore that. To make a long story short. I think that Lindsay McCourt, the new 6th year transfer from Beauxbatons, is the heir of Hufflepuff, and I think she has the relic of power. And I think she aims to use it for dark purposes."

"We're here," said Harry simply. They had been crawling through a dusty vent and the opening ahead in the vent appeared to lead into a large room. "Okay, McCourt's standing in the middle of the room. Maybe she expects us. Is it possible, Draco?"

"I don't know," said Draco. "Maybe she can see right through the wall. Maybe she can hear us, too. Who knows?"

"Okay," Ron began. "We can either charge out of there like idiots, or one of us, _Harry_, can lean out there and get a glimpse of what we're up against first."

Harry groaned. "Fine," he said. He looked out, then his head retreated quickly. "It's her," he said simply. "Wearing a red robe. Got some pendant attached to a thin necklace around her neck. She's looking right at the opening. Who's feeling heroic today?"

"Let me through," Draco said. He crawled to a spot just short of the opening. He started shouting out of the opening, "Lindsay!"

"Draco!" Lindsay shouted casually.

Ron grabbed Draco's arm. "This is a trap, isn't it? She knows you."

"No it isn't!" Draco insisted. "She just senses things. I need to shout again, so let go." Ron obliged. Draco cleared his throat and then began shouting, "Lindsay! We were just adventuring around the castle and we ended up here. We're going to enter the room now, okay? We're just trying to see where we ended up, that's all!"

"Of course," said Lindsay calmly.

"Go, Draco," said Ron.

Draco groaned and crawled out slowly. He stood up in the middle of the room and stared at Lindsay. The relic, if that's what it was, was glowing brilliantly. "Coast is clear," he said to the others. One by one, they emerged.

They stood at the back of the large room and tried to smile at Lindsay.

Suddenly, she laughed. "Horrible liars, you are." She lifted up the pendant off her chest. "This is the relic of power," she said. "It gives me near-limitless power. I found it here, in this room, at the beginning of the school year. During the fight with the ninjas, I quietly picked up Harry's invisibility cloak in the Forest. I crept back into the castle and eventually found what I was looking for. Of course, I had determined the location from various scrolls during the last two years. It happened to be exactly where I expected it. It was in this sand floor you see here, but it was buried in a specific spot. It was easy. Then I crept out of the castle, still under the cloak, used the power of the relic to find Cho's parents, and I blasted them with a spell that made them unconscious and would eventually kill them.."

"Why, Lindsay?" Cho managed in her state of shock.

"I met someone on the train on the way to school at the beginning of the year. Oh I had read about him very much. I fell in love with the concept of Harry Potter, but I thought that the real person could never live up to that concept. I met him on the train, and he was so down-to-earth. Then I learned about his thing for you, Cho. I could sense the way he felt about you even then. It was a feeling I had never experienced with my workaholic father and constantly absent mother. I tried to get you to notice me, Harry, but to no avail. You were in love. I then knew what I was going to use the relic for once I got it. I would use it to make you love me. I thought that I could hurt your relationship by killing Cho's parents."

Harry saw Cho's fingers curl up into fists. He hoped that she wouldn't pull out the sword and do something irrational.

Lindsay continued. "I thought that you two would grow apart because of her misery, but the reverse effect occurred: You grew closer together! I didn't even know--until I learned from the relic later--that you, Harry, had convinced her parents to pick your friend--who failed as a secret-keeper, I might add--as their secret-keeper. The effect should have been magnified by that fact, but you two remained together. I still don't understand. Then I tried to kill you, Cho, at the Quidditch match, but I didn't count on Harry's magnificent dive."

"You are heartless," said Harry angrily.

Lindsay didn't bother to respond.

"How did you know the Death Eaters would distract us?" Hermione asked bravely.

"That was easy," Lindsay said. "Now, I was no Death Eater, but it didn't matter; I had the relic. I saw the tengu and his ninjas, and that was the golden opportunity. I called forth The Dark Mark, and a badly organized attack ensued. It didn't matter. It gave me enough time to attack the poor couple and return in time for the Death Eater embarrassment at the front doors."

"But the Death Eaters figured out that it was you who sent the mark," Harry asked tentatively. He had moved forward.

"A spell cast through the power of the relic has an extra gold lining around it," Lindsay said. "That thin gold lining outlined the Dark Mark that I sent. Any scholar could figure it out. It doesn't matter. I don't fear them in the least." She paused. "Enough explanation." She waved her hand, and a ring of fire formed in the middle of the room. In the circle were Lindsay and Harry, and the others were separated. Harry's companions could barely see over the top of the fire wall. "Circle of fiery hate," she said simply. "One can only go through it if one is full of love. I knew you'd eventually separate yourself from them, front and center. That eliminates your friend factor."

She continued. "Where were we? Ah yes, the choice. Think about it, Harry, if I snap my fingers, large hail could fall from the ceiling. Without any effort," she said as she levitated into the air, still standing upright, "I can fly. The power, Harry! I could infuse you with it if I so desired. It's infinite; I lose nothing. All you have to do is love me, and you will be able to do everything. Create at a whim! Control the weather. All at your fingertips."

"But I don't love you," said Harry defiantly. "I love Cho, and you tried to kill her! "

"Ah yes, the heir of Ravenclaw. Just like Rowena, this girl is apparently perfect in every way. Do you know the story? I know, because you see the relic has some of Helga's essence in it. So I know that Rowena married the man that Helga loved, the legendary Chinese warrior Li Chan. But Helga had the relic! She could have made Chan love her instead, but she did not act. She let love take its course. That was her mistake. You're not sorted based on virtue, but by your fatal flaw at Hogwarts. Don't you see? Helga's inaction--due to loyalty to her friend--led to her unhappiness. The relic tells me.

Yes, Chan protected Rowena with that sword Cho has, and when he died from a mortal wound he received while saving her, the sword became hers--the Sword of Ravenclaw.

The moral of the story. Power is meant to be used. Don't use it, and you will regret it. I have more power than wizards can ever dream of. Except you, Harry, the one I choose. The one I love. Join me, and we could rule the world! We could do anything! Pass it on to our children, and our children's children. Live the life of our dreams. Forever. Without pain or suffering. If you accept, then I can bring Cho's parents back to life as a trade."

Harry looked at Cho, but she shook her head slowly.

"You're bluffing!" Ron said defiantly.

"I'm not sure," said Draco in a quieter tone. "No one knows what she can do now."

"All you have to do is accept my offer," Lindsay said.

"I said no," said Harry. "I don't love you. And you can't make somebody love you. It's not real."

"Real love? It's the same thing. There's no difference; love is love. You can get what you want, and then use the magic from the relic to forget how you got it. No guilt at all!"

"There is a difference. You could never be my true love!"

This enraged Lindsay. She pointed her finger at him and shouted, "Imperio!"

Harry felt a sudden euphoria.

"This Imperio is exponentially more powerful than what you're used to," he heard her say. "You will kneel now, as a sign that you accept my offer. Then you will love me, and we will take what we want and do whatever we please forever."

Harry's mind struggled against the other mind inside him. He kept his legs straight.

"Crucio!" she yelled.

Harry felt the worst pain he had ever felt all over his entire body. He gritted his teeth as hard as he could and fell to the floor. He heard what sounded like girls' voices calling his name in fear.

After a few agonizing minutes of pain, he heard Lindsay again. "Imperio!"

Harry was weakened by resisting the Cruciatus curse. He found that he suddenly could not fight it very well. He was getting closer to kneeling. He looked over at his friends and hoped, desperately, that he would not give in.

Then he saw her. Cho came running through the fire. Everyone gasped as she appeared on the other side of the wall, in the middle of the circle, unscathed. Harry could hear more clearly now. He could see more clearly. And the knowledge that he had support from Cho helped him somehow find the strength to resist the curse and stand fully up. The energy around him from the curse lingered, but Harry was now standing easily.

Lindsay shrieked. "How could it be?" She paused. "Ah yes, so Cho has enough love to overcome the hate. Beautiful, really. No matter. Harry, I won't use curses. I offer you power."

Cho stood next to Harry and she held his arm tightly. He squeezed back. They faced Lindsay together.

Lindsay's face grew redder. "I will give you one last chance. Limitless power with me, or death in the arms of your 'true love.'"

"I would foresake all the power in the world out of love for her," Harry said confidently. "You don't love anyone, because you can never give up that power. Love requires sacrifice."

"Fine!" bellowed Lindsay. "Then you will be the first sacrifice. Incidentally, I will kill you with a type of energy that resembles your trademark." A huge ball of yellow and blue energy formed around Lindsay's right hand. "You will die, Harry, by a ball of lightning. You all will die!"

"Don't let go," Harry said to Cho. "You trust me, right?"

"Yes, I do," she said gently to him.

They held each other tight.

Suddenly, they heard a thunderous boom and the humming of immeasurably high electricity. The room was lit brightly, and they could just see the horrified expressions on the faces of their friends. They continued to hold on tightly to each other, and then they saw the huge ball of energy careen at the speed of sound into them. Just before it hit, they hugged each other tightly and closed their eyes from the blinding light. Harry's companions, who were somewhat shielded from the light by the wall of fire, watched, horror-stricken, as the huge blue and yellow ball enveloped Harry and Cho, and they lost all hope.

The envelope did not last long however. Harry and Cho, eyes closed, hugged each other so tight that they must have found it hard to breathe. And then, it happened. The envelope gradually peeled itself away from Harry and Cho, and it suddenly flew back at Lindsay.

Lindsay was mortified. "No! It cannot be!" She tried to flee it by flying away, but it pursued her closely.

Harry and Cho, having felt the ball of energy leave them, had opened their eyes and were now watching Lindsay.

"It's tracking the relic!" Cho shouted. "Lindsay, take off the relic!" She appeared to surprise herself with her words.

"Never!" shouted Lindsay. But those were her last words. In an instant, the ball of lightning hit her and she was killed.

The ring of fire and other traces of magic disappeared. The relic fell thirty feet onto the sandy floor.

Harry's mind raced. Cho had tried to save the person who had killed her parents. Was Cho thinking rationally or was she panicking? He knew that now was a bad time to ask.

"No one touch it," came a familiar voice.

They all turned around and saw Sirius Black and a stranger standing behind them. "We figured you out. Or should I say, Mr. McCourt figured it out. Lindsay left some clues around her room."

"Mr. McCourt, we didn't mean to--" Cho began.

"Of course not," said McCourt grimly. "My daughter brought it on herself. You were defending yourselves, not trying to kill anybody. I don't know whether it's my fault, or my wife's, or both of us, or neither of us. She was our only daughter. The last heir of Hufflepuff, as well. I'm somewhat relieved though. Now no one will be able to use that relic."

The face of Dumbledore emerged awkwardly out of the vent. "I am here to destroy it to make sure that it is never used."

"Dumbledore, no," Frank said desperately and his face showed an expression of panic.

"You have Hufflepuff blood, as well," Dumbledore said. "You may have the power, if you pick up the relic, to try to restore your daughter back to life. However, if I were you, I would not do it."

"It is a curse," added Harry. "Only Helga could use it responsibly."

McCourt hesitated. "Destroy it, Dumbledore, before anyone uses it again."

"As you wish," said Dumbledore. He pointed his wand at the relic from across the room and muttered, "Vaporizo." The relic disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Dumbledore looked at Harry and the others. "Once again, Harry, you have broken a slew of rules and yet saved the magical community. You don't need me to tell you how powerful she could have become. Perhaps the only thing that could beat her was herself. Unlike previous years, I don't think this calls for an explanation from me. As far as I know, she was never an aid to Voldemort."

"I doubt it," said Draco. "I'm sure she told the truth."

"Draco," Dumbledore began. "I did not expect to see you here, though I suspect that the others wouldn't be here without you."

Draco paused. "You're right," he finally said.

"Sirius, McCourt, our work is done here. Let us leave the children and have some tea in my office. McCourt, do you need help with Lindsay?"

"I can handle her myself," he said. He stared at the spot where her charred body lay, and then he picked up the body by himself and left. Harry thought about helping McCourt, but decided to leave the man to his own thoughts.

Sirius patted Harry on the back before the men left wordlessly.   


* * *

A/N: The quality of an HP story is based on how good the climatic confrontation is. So how'd I do? Harry and company won without casting a single spell, ironically. I put quite a bit of thought into this, believe it or not. I wondered if there was a way to get the tengu involved here? Was there a way to get Sirius or Lupin involved in the battle? I already had five heros. How about some big, grotesque monster in the chamber? Lindsay: Let me introduce you to my 15-headed Flying Cyclops-Hydra-Golem! Hahahaha! Sorry, maybe in the sequel. Of course, the whole "love reflecting dark magic attack" thing is based on how Lily saved Harry when he was one year old. Did you mentally groan when you saw that it was a "true love conquers all" ending? (That line is from Sleeping Beauty, by the way). Anyway, I'd like to quote Shakespeare: "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn." You have one more chapter to read.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Resolution

Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters nor her locations nor any ideas inspired by Crouching Tiger.

Chapter 9: Resolution   


Harry looked at Cho as soon as the men left. He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders, then started bringing his head towards her to kiss her.

She suddenly pushed him back. "No," she said. "We're not kissing until we're married."

Harry and the others were stunned. "What?" Harry asked. "Not till our marriage?"

"Yes." She shrugged, and then saw that everybody was staring at her.

"This is your parents' rule, right?" Harry asked.

"No, it's mine."

Harry hesitated, and then smiled. He put his hands on her shoulders again. "Stop joking around and kiss me." He leaned towards her again.

"I said no!" She said as she pushed him away more forcefully than before. "Sorry if you object to it, but I'm not budging on my rule."

Harry paused and sighed. He said finally, "No, I don't have a problem with it. Can we get married over the summer, then?"

"No!" she said emphatically. "Harry, marriage is years away. We have school, and work, and . . " She trailed off.

"As soon as possible, then," said Harry.

"Impatient are we?" Cho said. A smile formed on her face.

"What? Not until you're married?" Ron said incredulously. He paused. "She's worth it," he finally said.

Hermione glared at him.

"Well it's true," Ron said sheepishly.

"You two are gonna have the cutest, most spoiled little babies," Ginny said.

"Indeed," said Harry. "Someday there will be more Potters than Weasleys." He grinned mischievously at Cho. Cho was fighting back a smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Ron. He looked at Hermione and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh honestly!" she said.   


* * *

On the last day of school, Cho left with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in the black carriage that would take them to the Hogwarts Express. They had decided earlier that, since Cho had no living relatives and thus no place to stay, that they would owl the Weasleys at the Burrow to see if they could temporarily accomodate her. Harry raved about her for so many pages that Ron had to intervene for Pig's sake and throw pages out. The Weasleys' response was that they would love to have Cho stay at the Burrow over the summer. And so, Harry and his friends boarded the train and, sooner than they had hoped, they arrived at King's Cross Station. Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione. Hermione, being unavailable this year, decided not to kiss Harry on the cheek this time. Harry and Cho had a difficult time saying goodbye.

"I'll really miss you," Harry said.

"I'll write," Cho said. She saw Harry's not fully content expression. "I'll write a lot," she added brightly.

"Me too," Harry said. "I hope Ron doesn't get on your nerves too much. But if he does, let me know, and I'll fly over there personally and give him a punch in the nose."

Cho giggled. "Good bye," she said softly. "I love you, you know." She smiled.

"Bye," said Harry. "I love you too."

They parted. Cho left to join the Weasleys, who were smiling and waving at Harry. Harry turned around and saw something that surprised him: the Dursleys' facial expressions were in a state of shock.

"That's your girlfriend?" Dudley blurted out when they got to the car.

"Yeah," Harry said as he loaded his luggage in the back. "She's some girl."

Another year at Hogwarts drew to a close.

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure whether Hermione's _Oh honestly_'s are mentioned in the canon, but I know they are prevalent in wotan's "Yours and yours and yours." If they are indeed wotan's idea, then I give credit to him or her. Credit goes to Starling's drawings for inspiration. No, I don't have the books with me. So the idea of Cho's age is based on the fact that I know she's a year ahead of Harry in Claire's Draco Dormiens.

This story, of which I'm immensely proud, was fueled by a week of inspiration. I molded and reformed the plot throughout, and am happy with the final shape it took on. I'm satisfied with the plot and the characterization. Maybe Cho was not totally believable; I might make her less of a Mary Sue in the sequel(s), if I choose to write one or more. Many parts needed more development to slow down the pace, while some unnecessary dialogue could have been trimmed down. It also has a "rushed" feel.

Enough of what I think; I'm biased. I hope that you, the reader, enjoyed it. Maybe you think I've started a Harry/Cho fanfic revolution! Just kidding. The common objection is: "She's an outsider we barely know."

Ito Mori the tengu will return!

I think that I will eventually write a sequel to this story set in year 6 (year 7 for Cho I think).


	10. Epilogue

Harry Potter had been staring at her for a long time. His wife, Cho Chang Potter, slept peacefully. Her short, untidy, black hair, high cheekbones, and dark eyelashes still had the same mesmerizing effect it had had on him the first time he saw her back at Hogwarts. Her understandabe fatigue was from their trying for another child the night before and having, as usual, spent more time than they had planned to. Harry could have gone back to sleep; his sore muscles begged him to lie back down. But he willed himself to stay awake, because it was important that he mentally make amends to her. He stared at the smile on her face and the rising and falling of her back as she lay on her stomach and breathed in a hypnotic rhythm. It was cold, so he dragged a stray silk blanket over her and softly dropped it on her back. He had a slight hangover from the wine they had shared, but he could ignore it. For the single thought that occupied his head was reminding himself of all the good times they had spent in the ten years that they had known of each other and the four years that they had been married.

He tore his eyes away from her with great effort and focused on the nightstand to his right. The clock read 4:15 AM. His eyes descended slightly to a pair of rings that Cho treasured. The farther one had diamond studs that shone brightly in his eyes. He continued to stare at the engagement right that he had bought it in Hogsmeade shortly after they had started dating. "She will adore you for it," David Smith, the world-famous jeweler had said, "because it will remind her of Hogsmeade, the place where she grew up." "She already adores me," Harry remembered himself replying, "but I should probably make sure she always does in case I mess up in the future." Harry remembered the events that immediately followed. He had to save her life in the next Quidditch match, and the next several hours after that he had spent doing the same thing he was now, watching her lie down with eyes closed, praying for her safety, and asking for forgiveness for all the times when he had indeed messed up.   
  
When only the combined strength of their love for each other could save them from Lindsay McCourt and the Relic of Power, he had held her so tightly partly out of guilt. At the point of certain death he had found himself suddenly begging that they survive, partly because he just wanted more time to apologize to her. To apologize for her recent orphanhood, because the murder of her parents was motivated by Lindsay's obsession with Harry. On a lighter note, he wanted to apologize for constantly desiring to break her rule. On so many occasions, he struggled so hard to restrain himself from kissing her. The following summer, he proposed to her out on the spacious Weasley lawn on the most beautiful summer day he had ever seen. She had stunned him by not giving him the chance to propose, and then, after further thought, she had suddenly accepted him.

Her acceptance put him in a state of euphoria for the following year, until terrible things happened. The murder of Sirius Black, the theft of Harry's inheritance, the debts, the framing of Lupin for the murder, and the return of Wormtail. It had all been a struggle, and so many times Harry told Cho out of love for her that she could break the engagement at any time. But she was as constant as the North Star, and from her constancy Harry drew his strength. When Harry finally defeated Wormtail in the _______, he had fought so hard not to kill his enemy. Cho had helped him to show mercy, and Wormtail had then inexplicably taken his own life.   
  
That same year, Ito Mori had returned, and in a battle where Harry and Cho could not use magic, she had come as close as one possibly could to dying for him. When Harry had finally activated the Scale of Life and Death, Cho had survived and Ito Mori went back to the land of the dead.   


In Harry's final year at Hogwarts, he had come closest to death and he had missed Cho desperately. She bought a small house in Hogsmeade that Harry could only visit on assigned weekends. She suddenly contracted a magical sickness for which there was no cure, like the Muggle cancer, and he had spent so much time by her side. Go on and live, she had told him. Harry had never given up, though everybody else did, and one day he had found the cure that no magical doctor could ever discover. Snape had been absolutely dumbfounded. Voldemort had been responsible?? 

  
  
  
  


After narrowly surviving his defeat of Voldemort in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, Harry graduated with his unforgettable friends from Gryffindor. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were the siblings he never had. They cared for him, fought for him, wept for him, love him, shaped his character, and forgave him. Harry treated Cho differently. Whenever he hurt her in the slightest of ways, he would suddenly feel the utmost sympathy for her. He would beg for her forgiveness for the things so trivial that she had already forgotten them by the time he had apologized. And despite her objections, he would insist on apologizing. He didn't deserve this wonderful girl. She deserved someone who didn't constantly lie, pry, and think in terms of "I" instead of "we."

Harry's eyes moved to the other ring: a gold wedding band. The day after Harry's graduation, he and Cho had been married at the little-known Hogwarts chapel. Everyone was invited, and almost everybody came. Still the happiest day of his life.

The first child was born within the year, and they had named him/her __________. In the next two year, two more children were born, ____ and then _____. Cho turned out to be a great mother.    


Of all the people she could choose, she had chosen him, and he knew that she had never regretted it. He had done heroic things, but they really came only natural for him. She had forgotten him for every hurtful comment, every half-truth he had told and would ever tell. She had accepted him completely. If only he could accept himself as well. 


End file.
